


Fluttering Curiosity

by OneColoredLily



Category: Fairy Tail
Genre: Alternate Universe, Comfort, Dont copy to another site, F/M, First Time, Friends to Lovers, Nalu - Freeform, Romance, stone age omake
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-04-28
Updated: 2020-01-01
Packaged: 2020-02-09 07:20:45
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 10
Words: 57,356
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18633463
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/OneColoredLily/pseuds/OneColoredLily
Summary: After finding a mysterious creature known as 'female', Natsu's caveman way of life becomes drastically changed thanks to a girl named Lucy and vise versa. They share many of the same questions about one another and having all the time in the world to figure them out. Discoveries in the Stone Age are made, finding out what it means to be attracted to someone so different from you.





	1. A New Family

"You'll like it, there's a lake nearby with tons of fish. Trout, rainbow and salmon in the spring that come up the river," Happy explains enthusiastically. The cat floats beside his companions as they head home, his pure white wings flapping every few beats to keep him in the air.

"I don't care about that. My home is with my tribe, not with you two males. They'll be back to save me again, wait and see," Natsu's female shouts. She struggles over his shoulder like a dying bore twitching for life, crying out its last fighting breath. She claws into the back of his mixed fur coat but the material is too thick to feel her tinny nails through. Her legs in front of him kick the air, sometimes smacking against one of his stout thighs.

"Who cares? I'll chase them off with the power of my Sacred Rod again. Show them who's dominant," Natsu simply says.

While her flailing is nothing he can't handle, having fought against worse things, he can't understand why the female is struggling against him. She saw him chase the Female Tribe off in order to protect her. She should be taking pride in the fact that he's chosen her and not fighting against him. Overtime, he'll learn what this female's every move and intent means but she's a mystery to him as of now.

But none of that matters. After fending off the Female Tribe with a single blow from his Sacred Rod and being honored with the title of Brave, a title reserved for the strongest male in the tribe, Natsu's elated mood can't be thwarted so easily. No other human in the Male Tribe was able to stand up to the females, not even Laxus, who was the former Brave of the tribe. A single look from that red headed female sent Laxus kneeling to the ground with a wave of pain in his crotch. The power of his Sacred Rods had not risen to the challenge but rather had its wrath incurred. Eventually, all of the other males in Natsu's tribe succumbed to the same pain in their crotches, having them fall in battle with little to no resistance.

For a moment or two, it felt as if that was going to happen to Natsu, bringing about a pain in his Sacred Rod he never knew could exist. That pain translated into something completely different once he grabbed onto those large mounds attached to his females' chest. He was originally hoping that somehow she wouldn't be taken away from him, not when he recently claimed her, but instead his Sacred Rod awoke at such a fast and intense rate that it was as if the Gods themselves granted him unlimited power. This female Natsu has chosen allowed him to tap into the power of his Sacred Rod and beat back the other females, having them run off in terror—though why exactly he's still unsure of.

Nastu's Sacred Rod has calmed down since winning such a fierce battle but the euphoria that it bought about hasn't left his system. At the time, it was unnerving to see the power those females held over the males, but thinking about it now is funny to Natsu. It still makes him want to piss in laughter remembering how Gajeel got smashed into the ground by that small, bird-like female with blue hair.

Natsu's earned the right to keep this female.

When he first caught her, he thought she could be lunch for the tribe. After that, he debated about keeping her as a pet. Neither of those things sounded right though. The thought of any male sinking their teeth into her pale flesh makes Igny build in his blood, and she can't be a pet, not when she's human like he is. A very different kind of human but she has feeling, too.

Sensitive feelings from the sound of her high pitch protests, being carried off to Natsu's hut. Located away from the village to keep some privacy, there are dense oaks, maples and pines towering above his home to one side, creating shade and close hunting grounds. The land suddenly cuts off on the other side of the house, dropping to a valley below and providing an excellent view to scout for trouble. Out this far from the main village there's nothing to hear but the call of birds and the territorial cries of chipmunks.

In the season of blooming life, summer is at it's peek with warm, comforting days that set the foliage to be a vibrant green, trees in full bloom and flowers dancing along side them. In this landscape Natsu calls home, the place is perceptually struggling to keep warm, an aspect that doesn't bother him, since he can't really tell the difference in temperature a lot of the time thanks to how feverish his body constantly is. His tribe has set up the village in an area where the winters can be harsh, making it that much harder for the summer to set in properly regardless of how much the Big Igny shines down. It can make the nights largely contrast to the day, the cold air of the darkness taking on a winter like grasp most of the time no matter if it's summer, especially when the cold wind comes down from the nearby mountains. That doesn't stop life from struggling for a place to belong, as the plants and flowers always come back every year.

Shouldering his way past the treated buffalo skin that acts as the entry door way to his hut, Natsu gently sets the female down on a thick pile of pelts he and Happy use for their nest—silky cougars, course black bear and smaller pelts of fox, raccoon and coyotes.

She immediately scoots to the other side of the nest, pressing her back against the wall and keeping her guard up. "What do you want from me?" she asks intense.

Natsu tilts his head to the side. "Want from you? Nothing. I found you, I get to keep you."

"You can't treat me like some animal."

"Aren't we all animals?"

"Well … yes, but that's not the point."

Happy plops down to lie on top of Natsu's head, ruffling his pink hair. "Don't be scared. Natsu's a really nice guy once you get to know him. He makes an awesome charred boars' meat with his Igny."

Natsu takes to sitting in front of the female on the pelts, crossing his legs and squeezing his dirty feet in both of his hands. "What's your name? I heard it shouted by one of the other females but I wasn't really paying attention," he grins.

She hesitates, judging his sincerity. "… Lucy."

"Oh, that's odd. Doesn't sound very strong. Kind of soft."

"I could say opposite for your name … Natsu."

"Thanks!"

"Seems that everything males do is the opposite of my tribe."

"Your formal tribe," he reminds. "This is your home now. I hope you like it. I know it's not much but you can collect things to bring here, too, if you want."

He realizes that it's a bit of a mess in his house but everything has a reason for being here, mainly because he's developed a habit of collecting memorabilia. Those old spears with splintered handles were the first weapons he made when he was small, there's no way he could discard something that sentimental. Those piles of animal skulls are from his tribes' triumph over the Tiger Tooth Male Tribe from the north, who stupidly thought they could encroach into his tribes' lands. Their reward for their victory was a bountiful feast, taken from the northern tribe's caribou stash. There are old pelts lying around, bits of rock and piles of wood, different herbs and smaller chunks of food that Natsu never bothered to clean up, discarded on the floor. He has to admit that junk like that lying around probably doesn't leave a good impression for Lucy but there was never a point in getting rid of them when he never knew when his last meal would be, living in such a harsh world.

"I don't plan on doing such a thing," Lucy says as if insulted. "Collecting items would mean I've found purchase with my life, something I don't want here."

"Come on, don't be grumpy." Natsu gives her a wide smile, grinning from ear to ear and shrugging easily. "You'll come to like it here soon enough, but we should sleep. The Big Igny in the sky is going down and I'll have to get up early to hunt, since I didn't catch much of anything today." He hums in ponder. "More than usual, now that I have to feed the two of you."

"Don't worry about me, Natsu. I can catch all the fish I want. I've been practicing my hunting skills. I'll even store away extra fish for the winter," Happy says. He rubs at his companion's sunset pink hair before lightly getting off of his head.

Natsu scratches his friends' pointy ear. "As you should be doing."

"I'm not sleeping anywhere near you two," Lucy pouts. She searches the nest disgusted as if looking for ticks, which he's made sure to remove.

"It might be nice during the day but it's getting cold at night with the days getting shorter. I don't exactly want you to die just when I got you."

She juts her chin out. "I won't die from such a thing. I'm a lot tougher than I look."

"You're ten times smaller than me. Except for whatever is on your chest."

Natsu eyes those mounds that rest above Lucy's rib cage, covered by leopard skin and string. He doesn't know what they are exactly. Fat storage maybe? She must be well fed if that's the case. All he knows for sure is that Lucy has some sort of power stored within those lumps that affects his Sacred Rod. He wants to keep her around not only because she's interesting but because of that potential power she can bring to him. Or maybe what she did to him earlier today isn't what he thinks. He's not sure how to understand all of this, considering he didn't know what a female was when he woke up this morning.

Natsu's startled out of his thoughts when Lucy unexpectedly pounces forward. Her swift movements turn her into a blur that darts past him towards the huts skin door, feeling the way she slices through the air next to him with no hesitation. She has no muscle, ligaments narrow, her entire body soft and curving with the dexterity of a butterfly but, _damn_ , is Lucy fast. Way faster than any other male with their bulky builds. How can she move like that?

Instinct rears its head at this fleeing target, years of hunting practice having Natsu's eyes see not a human running away but rather a rabbit trying to escape from the jaws of death. With an accelerated heart and no thought to what he's doing, Natsu snaps around and snatches Lucy by the ankle. She trips and lands harsh on the dirt floor against her stomach, knocking the breath out of her.

She glares back at him with a sneer, bearing her dull fangs. "Let me go!"

Given that the Female Tribe came after Lucy with weapons and war animals, she means something to them, an aspect Natsu can sympathize with. If he was taken from his tribe, Natsu's sure the other guys would fight for his safe return, as well. But it isn't that simple, at least, not to Natsu, it isn't. There's something about Lucy female he can't give up. From the moment he realized what she was, it doesn't just feel necessary to keep her around but an absolute _need._ He can't possibly let her go, simple as that. He won't question his gut when it's never steered him wrong before.

Despite this, irritation builds in Natsu's blood at Lucy's refusal to accept that she is his now. He's tried to make this transition as easy as possible for Lucy, showing that he means no harm by being extremely gentle and explaining to her that she has nothing to worry about. It's almost like she's ignored him this entire time with the way she's acting. If soft reassurance isn't going to work then it's going to have to come down to dominance. He needs to make her understand that the claim he's put over her is no small matter. With him being the stronger of the two humans here, it should tell her that he can provide, hunt and give her shelter, that he can keep her happy and comfortable. He won't let Lucy be harmed, not when he considers her apart of his family from this moment onward. She needs to understand these things and if it means having to argument with her to prove his point then so be it.

Natsu drags Lucy back by the ankle and scuffle's her to the ground. He's easily able to capture her frail wrists in his hands and uses his ample weight to drive her to the dirt floor, keeping her arms pinned to the ground above her head. He distinctly notices how much larger his hands are compared to hers, as under the callous of his palms he can feel her wrists bones stick out. It makes him wonder how breakable she really is but he'll think about that later. Hovering above her petite frame, he presses a knee to her inner thigh and keeps it held down, making it harder for her to move around.

Natsu lowers his face to Lucy's, bearing his sharp fangs right back at her. "Stay," he demands.

She doesn't give into his foreboding presence, either not sensing it or too stubborn to submit right away. She glares at him, that heat in her eyes surprisingly stunning. "Why should I?"

"Because I like you," he admits with a huff. "I don't take things unless they're interesting. Plus, you're fun to have around. I got more excitement out of today then I have in weeks. Beyond that, though, you made my Sacred Rod awaken."

Her eyebrows furrow. "Sacred Rod …?"

"You know, that thing between my legs."

"She doesn't have one," Happy reminds amused, watching them from the nest.

"Shit, that's right." When they first met, she was naked from her bathing and after tackling her to the ground, he got a full look at ... at nothing! There's nothing for the female down there. It absolutely freaks Natsu out. "Did it get injured in a battle? Torn off or something?" he asks curiously.

"Don't say such things," Happy shutters, crossing his legs and curling into a ball.

All around baffled, Lucy unconsciously shakes her head. "I have no clue what either of you are talking about."

"Come on, you have to know what a Sacred Rod is. It's something all males have. It's our pride," Natsu says.

"Well, I'm obviously not a male. I don't seem to have whatever you're talking about."

He backs his head up confused. "Then how do you piss?"

"I am  _done_ with his conversation," she says appalled.

He lifts up a little to look down her shapely body. For Lucy, there's definitely no bulge where the Sacred Rod should be, it's flat as an open field of wheat past her leopard hide. Unlike him, she's taken to covering a cloth between her legs and wrapping it under the animal skin she wears to cover whatever she could possibly have down there, if there's anything at all. If Natsu did that his Sacred Rod would cry, as it likes its freedom too much. His thick pelt wrappings that slit to one side and reach down to his calf legs are good enough to contain his modesty.

"Don't you want to know about one another? You're like me but different," Natsu genuinely asks.

Lucy doesn't say anything to that but there's a curious intake of breath from her, seeming to take a silent agreement with him. Her earthy eyes linger on his stomach past the opening of his animal vest and slowly inch up towards his face. He can't help but tense up, wondering what she's seeing. How different looking is he in her eyes?

Suddenly, she scoffs and quickly dismisses him. "I don't care to know. I've figured out enough to know you don't want me for me."

Dammit, most males find satisfaction with the basic things needed to be kept alive—simple life and simple happiness. Females don't seem to be the same; at least  _his_  female doesn't, because from the sound of it she doesn't want objects alone but a bond. Natsu luckily understands that. Being with his tribe for a good chunk of his life, their laughter, teachings and friendship can never replace anything. He would do anything to keep his tribe safe.

"You're not some "thing" to me," he says, locking their eyes together. "You're Lucy. All I want is to have you by my side."

Her expression changes into one of utter surprise, making her eyes widen and a small gasp pull against her lips. Redness creeps against her neck and up to her ears, the skip Natsu can hear in her heartbeat having him worry that he ruined everything, as he's only ever heard such a stutter in the heart out of fear. Thankfully, Lucy stops struggling against him, meaning he must have said something right within his honesty.

"I don't want to treat you bad," he says. To prove his point, Natsu slowly lets her go, backing away and giving her some space.

Lucy quickly sits upright and scoots away on her butt towards the skin door.

Panic ripples through his gut, having him snap an arm out and fist the string that connects at the front of her leopard skin top. He pulls back without thinking, and as quick as the lightening that struck Laxus, he notices rosy patches resting on top of those mounds. He almost forgot that Lucy has nipples like he does, having seen them for the first time when he caught her bathing, but it's the large chest they sit upon that first clued him into the fact that she was a different from him—and then all hell broke loose when he looked down at her crotch to see nothing but light blond hair.

Lucy squeals and swats frantically at his arm. "Let go!"

"Sorry, sorry, I didn't mean to! Don't get closer to the door though. That's all I ask," Natsu says worried, releasing the string.

Despite her sneer and the way she crosses an arm over her chest, as if she can hide her hills from him, she doesn't move farther away. She sits defensively, legs curled as if ready to run and her head ducked low, prepared to head-butt him if he gets close enough.

"Uh, do girls not show their chests?" Natsu asks confused.

"No, we do not. We are modest in our ways," she says hard.

"I don't really get it but …" He sighs exasperated, rubbing a hand across his upper lip. "Look, I'm not going to hurt you and I don't want to make you unhappy. You might not like it but I want to keep you around. You're pretty. Strange but pretty. I want to—" He looks to the ground frustrated, trying to find the right words. "You don't have to trust me but don't run away. We'll get to know one another and then you'll see that I'm not such a bad person."

Happy comes around to stand beside Natsu. "It's better to stay here with him than any of the other males. Mas Ter doesn't seem to like you, Gray will throw his Sacred Rod at you constantly without mercy and I'd hate to see what would happen if you got around the others. You're getting off easy with this simple caveman."

" _Thanks_ ," said caveman snorts.

Seeming to trust some of the cat's words, Lucy's flustered expression relaxes a little. She looks into Natsu's midnight eyes. He holds completely still, letting her do her thing.

Past the insult, Happy is both right and wrong. The males of the Tribe took Natsu in without question after Igneel, his adoptive parental figure, disappeared. Natsu was found by Mas Ter in the woods long ago with starvation hollowing out his small body and predators hovering near, waiting for him to die of a broken heart. For the longest time, Natsu didn't feel the need to avoid the elements, content to wait for Igneel in the exact spot he last saw the fire dragon. It wasn't until Mas Ter reached a hand out to help Natsu that he saw something in the old man's kind expression. It looked like a glimmer of hope for the future. A reminder of what Igneel told Natsu; that thinking of the future will make him want to live.

All those years ago when Natsu was first brought to the Male Tribe, the younger males around his age—Gray, Elfman, Jet and Droy—showed him what it meant to find friends. The older males taught him the ways of being human, such a foreign concept to him at the time when all he knew was the way of the dragon. All of them showed this once depressed child what it meant to look forward to the future again, learning how to survive on his own in what was normally considered such a helpless world. After all these years, Natsu would trust his fellow males with anything.

That's why it's a complicated situation when Natsu thinks about them interacting with Lucy. She's new territory, someone Natsu doesn't know how the others will handle, and there's something about her that's powerful enough to bring about the wrath of all of their Sacred Rods. He's not entirely sure if that's a good thing or a bad thing. Will they fear her? Lucy definitely fears them, considering her behavior so far. They might want to use her as a weapon to incur their Sacred Rods again but the thought of anyone else tapping into her power makes Natsu fist his hands. The guys would be using Lucy like some object instead of acknowledging her as his new family member. Sure, he might want to tap into that power, too, but she doesn't seem too keen on getting near him right now and he's not going to force her to do anything she doesn't want to. One day he would like grab her chest again and figure out what makes her so compelling to his Rod but he'll wait for her to get more comfortable before that happens.

For her own safety, Natsu decides to keep Lucy to himself until she's ready to meet the other males and to make sure that the guys don't do something stupid. A lot has happened in a short amount of time and thrusting Lucy back into the world of the males may not go well if she's so averse to simply sleeping in the same house as him. Maybe in the meantime keeping Lucy safe will allow her to bond with him. That way, she'll be happy.

There's also a stirring within Natsu's heart, a settling seed becoming one with that beating organ, that he can't understand. He continues to be bothered by the other males' reactions towards Lucy. Beyond their confusion, weariness and hostility, something about their Sacred Rods awakening because of her and having them bow before his female that doesn't sit right with him.

Slowly lowering her arm, Lucy lets her breath go and reluctantly says, "I'll stay for the night."

The pit in Natsu's stomach lifts away and he glows with pride, having successfully persuaded such a stubborn person to stay with him.

Happy dash up to the female and raises an arm as if waving hello. "Glad to have you here," he smiles.

Something about the talking animal intrigues her and she gives him a small smile back.

Jealousy rises through Natsu—why does she accept this male easily when he's the one that will provide for her?—but he tries to stuff it away. Everyone can't help but be drawn to Happy, a natural affect he has on those around him with his plush fur and wide eyes. Natsu will make it his goal to be receive a smile like that from Lucy someday.

"You have to promise me one thing though," Natsu says.

Eyeing him weary but willing, Lucy asks what that could be.

"You have to swear that you will not leave this house unless you're with me."

"At all? But what if I want to bathe? Have to pee or something?"

He shrugs. "Then I'll stay close by."

Her upper lip pulls back in disgust. "You can't expect me to have you follow my every move."

"I want to make sure I can trust you to be on your own. You say that you'll stay the night but what about tomorrow? I don't want you running off on me."

Sighing heavily, she turns away from him and looks at the floor. "You don't have to worry about that. I promise that I will stay here."

Not liking having her eyes turn away from him during such a large promise, Natsu reaches forward and gently grips her chin, turning her head up to look at him. He hovers his face close to hers and locks their eyes together, the tips of their noses bumping. "You swear?" he asks intent.

Breathless but for a moment, Lucy quietly says. "Y-yes."

"Thanks," he smiles brightly, letting her chin go.

"But I'm not sharing the same bed with you!" she quickly interjects. "I-I'll take one of the furs and sleep at the other corner."

"I'm telling you, you're not gonna like it. The air may be warm but sleeping on rock hard dirt is going to hurt and make you cold," he says.

"I'll deal with that on my own."

"Fine but if you end up hating it don't be afraid to come ball up with me and Happy."

* * *

**XxXxXxX**

* * *

Lucy doesn't want to admit that the male was right. She can't. Not when the only possible outcome to her defeat would be to crawl into Natsu's nest and sleep beside him.

The hard dirt floor against her hip sets it aching and no matter how long she tries to sleep in the same position, the ground doesn't become warm underneath her. The heavy bear pelt wrapped around her does nothing to help, as the dirt is frozen down to its core and is trying to capture her life force. The cool night's air serpents it's away inside the hut, creating an unwanted second blank that overtakes all other senses. Natsu didn't bother lighting an Igny before going to sleep, apparently none too concerned with the drop in temperature and sleeping contently in this chill.

How can the heat in the air drop this drastically from night to day? It never felt this cold back at the Female Tribe, Lucy thinks. When it would become this cold, all of the females would take to sleeping in one large hut, surrounded by Igny and the warmth of companionship. Males don't seem to be the same, taking to keeping their territory strictly to their own and not sharing the land. How do any of them survive the winter? It must be because the Male Tribe is located up in the mountain range, in contrast to the Female Tribe that is located on a flat plain down below in the valley where warm air gets trapped.

Upon the morning that changed her life drastically, Lucy had her bathing ritual interrupted by a strange looking creature that tried to impale her with a spear. Past her surprise and confusion, she could tell right away that Natsu was human but not quite like her—his build wider and muscles taunt with strength that is unimaginable in the human body. Being in such an exposed state, confusion was warded off in favor of defense, as she fished out from the pond the spear that Natsu luckily missed her with and chucked it back at him.

Lucy knew she was in trouble the moment Natsu swiftly dogged the spear and caught it one handed. Seeing as she couldn't fight, she took to running. She's normally light on her feet, considered one of the faster women of her tribe, but this male was able to outrun her and eventually pin her to the ground with ease, an astonishing outcome.

After coming to find that Natsu didn't know what she was either, Lucy took his every action as life or death. He wrapped tree vines around her wrists and ankles, tied her to a stick and brought her back to his village with the help of his flying cat (although she's not entirely sure what Happy is but his appearance is closest to that of the feline animal). Natsu put Lucy humiliatingly up on display in the middle of his tribe, all of them the mysterious species she came to know as 'male'.

Yet everything Natsu did was out of curiosity and caution, not of hostility. He never once threatened her and instead took to treating her like a newly discovered animal. He was as confused by her as she was of him, only he went about it strangely. Everything he did came down to simplicity, straight forward in his actions and talk. When Lucy thinks about it, it becomes obvious that he tied her up not because she was to be cooked alive for food but in case she was dangerous to him. When Lucy's tribe came to save her, Natsu didn't treat her as if she was a hostage but rather wanted to keep the females away for Lucy's own protection.

Thank the Gods for small favors though. After gaining more knowledge from the village elder, Natsu came to realize that she was human like him and deemed her worthy of kindness. From the way he had spoken to her throughout the day, he truly doesn't see her as a scrap of meat, having promised to take care of her and that she was now a part of his family. Perhaps he sees her more as a baby bird that needs a helping hand.

It's something she doesn't understand. Why would Natsu want to keep her around? He said that she's entertaining, fascinating in a way, and maybe he's keeping her around because of how different they are from one another, but that's not enough of a reason for her to be kept away from her family.

With a full day having gone by in getting to know this boy, Lucy is no longer afraid of him. Despite his obvious size telling her she should fear him, as he outweighs her by a good eighty pounds from the look of it—an aspect she felt at full force when he pinned her to the ground on multiple occasions today—she came to accept that Natsu isn't a bad person. His actions and words are much too blunt to hide anything but the truth. She's never met another person with eyes as pure as rain, letting Natsu's soul leak out from their depths and sincerity drip like honey from his every action. He genuinely wanted to know Lucy's name, to tell her that she was welcomed in his home and try to understand her.

The shiver that rocks through Lucy's body starts off normal but with no improvement to her body temperature, it becomes a convulsion that shakes her entire body against the ground.

Is she so stubborn as to die on the floor? The cold might not kill her right away but if her body were to become frail ... Without Wendy, the healer of her tribe, how would she survive the pain and sickness? She has seen many females get ensnared in mighty winter's grasp, nothing to be done beyond comfort them as they slowly faded away. Lucy doesn't want that to happen to her. No matter where she might be and who she's with, death is not an option.

She agreed to stay the night at Natsu's, realizing past her panic at being captured the horrible mistake she could have made. If Natsu hadn't stopped her from leaving then where would she have gone? The land is new, the nights are getting colder and she doesn't know what kind of life could be leering in the woods. It's better to stay in the male's hut then it is to venture out to her possible death.

Across from her, Natsu and Happy curl warmly in their cozy nest. The bigger male gives a light snore under the pelts, a consistent tone like the crickets outside of the hut that would normally soothe her to sleep. Happy has taken to wrapping himself in the smaller pelts, looking to have the head of a blue cat but the body of an orange fox. Neither of them shivers in the night, their breathing even with contentment and dreams.

Lucy groans and rubs her forehead into the floor, her envy in them making her pride burst. She can't take this dry, desolate aching anymore! She'd rather let embarrassment in defeat rule her life the next morning then have death win.

The moment she stands, her hip screams in pain and the cold wraps around her legs past the bear skin, trying to keep a hold of her. Quickly going to the nest, she eyes the lump that would be Natsu under layers of fur and finds an opening in the pelts. She sets the bear skin above him before working her way under the covers. The trapped heat washes over her but doesn't penetrate her skin right away, as her legs and hands continue to feel like blocks of ice. Even in the warmth of the pelts she shivers.

Unable to see Happy due to him being on the other side of Natsu, Lucy faces the male for warmth and silently watches him as her body grows accustom to the heat his body shares with her under the pelts. He looks different in sleep compared to the active, wide eyed awareness of the day—face smooth and his salmon pink hair rustled with sleep. There's something truly defenseless about him in the night. Being this close to him without uncertainty staining her mind, she comes to notice how he smells of the forest, pine burning into smoldering ash, a soothing scent that tells of protection and … strangely enough, a glimmer of home.

_Are you going to be okay, Princess?_

That would be Virgo. Although Lucy might not be able to see the owner of the voice, she knows that within those bright stars that dot the heavens, she has friends that watch over her. Virgo's bodiless voice, along with many others, has been with Lucy her whole life. They are her guardians that guide her through life as they watch over her from above. She was waiting for one of them to come around.

 **I'm fine,**  Lucy thinks. She does more than thinking to talk to her spirit friend. It's more like talking with the soul, effortless by this point in her life.

_Shall I punish this male for taking you away?_

**No punishing. … Maybe have him drop in a hole as pay-back but nothing more.**

_I can't believe you were stupid enough to get caught like that!_

Lucy cringes a little. That would be Aquarius.  **I didn't mean to. Sorry.**

_Don't come crying to me for help because of your own stupidity. I have an outing to go on with Scorpio. Interrupt and you die._

**Yes, ma'am.**

_If you need anything, Princess, we're never too far away. Shout if you need help._

**Thank you. I … I'm okay for now. It's not that bad, really.**

Sensing her spirits drifting away like a veil of soft fur rubbing gently against the skin, Lucy sighs quietly to herself as her soul goes quiet.

Through the chaos, Lucy does have to admit one thing: that everything she thought about when it comes to her escape are excuses. While true that this unknown terrain would be hazardous to trek through, that is an aspect she could easily over come if she observed her surroundings for a few days, get comfortable with the way this area of the world works and eventually make her escape when confidence in it grows. If she wanted, Lucy's sure could escape right now in the middle of the night—if she was willing to take the chance of either being frozen to death or eaten alive—but her main reason for not clawing and biting at Natsu to get away at whatever cost is based upon one simple reason.

Curiosity.

Natsu intrigues Lucy's quizzical mind. They're both human yet seem entirely different from one another. He's much bigger then her physically, eyes sharp and jaw line cut, body straight-lined. And yet when he sleeps burrowed beneath the pelts in peace, she's reminded of a small animal finding happiness with its life. There's also what Natsu calls his Sacred Rod. She got a glimpse of it before when her tribe was chased off but all she saw was perhaps something sticking up between his legs. Whatever it is, it's obvious that she doesn't have one, an aspect that Natsu finds horrifyingly odd.

Is it worth no struggle to figure out what Natsu is? Lucy can't help but feel that there's a fine-line taking place. She wants to know what he is but also feels that she can't stay here for her own curious needs. She has to go home where she belongs, where she was raised all her life and where her family waiting. After what the Female Tribe did for her today, whether it was a failed attempt or not, Lucy owes them some effort on her part to escape.

Besides the obvious reasons to leave, Lucy also wants this new thumping in her chest to stop. In the aftermath with his victory against the females, Natsu stripped Lucy of her vines and placed his hand gently on top of her head, saying that she was his from that point forward. He was so elated at that fact, his caresses telling of fondness and that smile of his having a certain charm to it. Those touches and that look did something to Lucy's heart. Something she's never experienced before.

It fluttered. Like the wings of a humming bird, it soared in her chest, and Lucy's not sure if that's good or bad.

* * *

**XxXxXxX**

* * *

"Natsu. Hey, Natsu," Happy whispers groggily. His little paws nudge against said males' shoulder above the pelts, disturbing his slumber. It's like waking up a grumpy bear.

"Go away," Natsu groans, smothering further into the furs.

"You told me to wake you up before the Big Igny."

"I changed my mind."

"Get up, lazy. You have to go hunting. Don't you want to get a good meal for Lucy?"

Natsu's eyes snap wide open upon the female's name.

That's right—everything that happened yesterday! Flashes of sound, colors and smells unravel before his senses, stopping upon one face. A girl with long golden hair and soft features.

Natsu quickly leans up on a forearm, frantically searching for Lucy in the waning darkness of the hut as if she was some kind of dream. His alarm grows when he doesn't find her where she was last seen, curled up on the floor towards the other side of the house. It isn't until something softly touches the back of his thigh under the pelt that Natsu looks over his shoulder, finding that Lucy had crawled into the nest with them last night. She sleeps at ease against her side, the black bear pelt pulled up to an ear and having her burrow into the warmth of the nest.

Relieved, Natsu turns back to Happy. "Thanks buddy. I'll get right on bringin' back that fish I promised you for waking me up."

"You do that," he says tired. Wrapping himself in the pelts, he goes back to sleep.

Sitting up without any heed of the cold and looking wearily to the girl that he's taken in, Natsu debates once again about leaving her alone. He's slightly afraid she'll go back on her promise to stay but there has to be some trust shown between them if they're going to be together for the remainder of their lives. Plus, there's sincerity to Lucy, that no matter how hard she tries to deny her feelings and no matter how defensive she might sound, that tells Natsu he can trust her.

In the distance, a wolf cries out as the midnight black of the forest gets replaced by the violet purple of the rising Igny.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is simultaneously the weirdest and most entertaining things I've ever written.
> 
> Make sure to leave a kudos and, most importantly, a review to tell me what you think! I'll update when I can.


	2. Learning and Identifying

The way Lucy eats is different, too, Natsu observes. Dainty and trying to keep the leftover blood off her fingers from the fresh kill. It reminds Natsu of Freed, always aware of the stickiness that comes from drying blood and hating the feeling of it against the skin. Lucy holds her deer leg by the tips of her fingers, digging her nails into the meat but keeping her palms off the dead animal leg. Her teeth hesitantly eat around the femur, keeping clear of the bone and checking consistently where she's putting her small mouth.

It's been three weeks since Natsu brought the female home and all has gone fairly well. There were a few moments of arguing between them but things have calmed down since then and Lucy seems to be settling in nicely to his family.

Natsu was right in trusting his gut, as per usual, during that first morning with Lucy. After hunting down a duck and returning home, he was expecting to find Lucy keeping to her promise but with harsh restrain. He imagined her sitting stiffly in the house, waiting with a glare, but to his surprise he instead found her trying to light an Igny in the ash pit of the house. She was clashing stones together, the usual way most people try to light Igny when they've never done it before. He tried showing her how to use tinder and rocks, but the clashing of the stones was a rhythm she was having trouble getting right, even to this day. How could someone so bad with Igny end up with someone that's been enchanted by it?

In that first week of bringing his female home, Natsu had a sneaking suspicion concerning Lucy's behavior. She would passively sit beside him, eat as if everything was normal for her, talk without hesitation lingering in her actions. That feeling Natsu had compelled him to bring Lucy along on his hunting sessions, not wanting to leave her alone with no one but mostly weak Happy to convince her to stay put in the house. Whenever they would go out, Natsu  _hoping_  Lucy would behave and try to not run away when he wasn't looking, she would refuse to hunt with him. She said that killing an animal with her bare hands was too barbaric for her, preferring to use a bow and arrow set if she had to kill for food, which he didn't have. She took to standing at the sidelines most of the time, watching Natsu absentmindedly and sometimes wondering a little. He let her be most of the time despite the lingering doubt in his mind, whispering that something wasn't right.

That second week together turned into the worst of situations for both of them. It's a good thing Natsu never pushed these intrusive, doubtful thoughts away, otherwise he wouldn't have been prepared the first time Lucy tried to  _actually_  escape. It was on a late night hunting session together that Natsu realized exactly what Lucy was plotting this whole time, acting passive and trying to get him to lower his guard. She was not only tricking him but was allowing herself time to memorize the terrain, taking in everything she could while they searched the grounds for fresh food, and once she felt confident enough to run through the forest without tripping, she took to fleeing.

There was no escaping a dragon's senses though. Even if his back was to her, even if she was upwind and far away, Natsu could always tell when she was preparing to run. Her veins flowing hot with blood accelerated her heart rate, scent spiking with anticipation and worry in wondering if her escape would be successful, and her breathing would become erratic. Foliage would snap harshly under her bare feet, her running swift but loud due to not knowing where to place her feet for a quiet escape.

Natsu put up a front about her behavior at first, agitated that she would be averse enough to living with him that she would play innocent and trick him. When Lucy didn't mind yelling right back at him, Natsu eventually took to her methods of scheming, playing dumb. It's not as if he hasn't played the fool before to calm things down, anyway. It was better to put on a smile and pretend he was ignorant of her escapes, catching her by the arm and telling her she was walking off in the wrong direction, or saying that she shouldn't wonder off too far as dangerous animals were near by. Showing kindness and his playful side, rather than try and force her to turn back around, had a much better effect on the both of them. Much of the time whenever she would get caught, Lucy would freeze in her tracks and seem to be at a loss for words, especially whenever Natsu would give her a lop-sided grin, confusing him as to why she would get like that. Whatever the reason, it at least allowed her to cooperate and safely return home.

Lucy's escapes started to dwindle as the Big Igny came and went a few times. Eventually on their outings, Natsu didn't feel the need to keep an eye on her, trusting her fully that she'd keep to her word and not run off. No point in escaping when it's obvious he'd catch her every time. Their daily hunts weren't an aggravating task anymore to Natsu.

Lucy has become more relaxed around him, now that she didn't have to put on a fake air of ease. With her true personality coming out, getting to know one another little by little and genuine smiles being shown, Natsu is having a lot more fun being around her now. He can never give up this female he finds endearing. Beyond Lucy's sharp mind, she's got a caring nature to her and a fortitude that constantly gets him cackling. She's a surprise to him at every turn and has changed his life in ways he wasn't expecting. He never once gave a thought to the fact that he had cooked meat next to raw meat and she's been trying to get him to bath more often, as it's been almost a week since his last one, but he continues to not see the point.

The only concerning aspect is when the Big Igny would start to go down. Lucy has been taking to being alone, often sitting on a rock by the edge of the cliff near the house and staring off into the skyline with a soft sigh. The urge to escape has left her and has been replaced with something more somber. Rather, a sort of ... sad acceptance. Natsu wasn't sure what Lucy was thinking, keeping to herself even when asked if she was okay, but he figured to let her be, like she wants.

The Male Tribe continues to be a place that Lucy's not comfortable getting near, having been told by her multiple times that she needs more time to prepare herself to go back to "that chaos". She apparently wants to figure out Natsu firstly before examining the other males, finding that she's a very curious creature that is always on the search for answers. In a sense, Natsu does figure that being looked at like food would leave a bad impression on Lucy. At the same time, he's almost glad that Lucy refuses to leave the safety of his territory.

Natsu has heard whispers carried on the wind by the other males about their own first impressions of Lucy, the only female they've ever seen. Recently, when Natsu made his trips into the tribe for furs and trades—being comfortable enough to leave Lucy on her own without fear of her running off—he could feel the other males heavy stares. Natsu's tried telling them that Lucy isn't something to go and touch, that they need to keep away for now in order not to scare her off. Every time though he's met with merry laughter and a teasing of how he can't keep her all to himself forever. He wouldn't be weary of Lucy meeting them if it wasn't for how weird they're all being about it. Natsu thought that having their Sacred Rods react badly towards Lucy would have been enough incentive to keep them cautious but it's unfortunately done the opposite.

Natsu has eaten his way through a leg and a few loins of the buck he hunted down today. With his body sedated of hunger, he moves on to satisfying the magical energy running low in his veins. Reaching into the Igny, he grabs the non-burnt end of a thick stick and takes it out with the tip of it still burning with flames. He chows down on the Igny flickering there, chewing on the flavorful flames that salivate in his mouth. Being made with pine wood that snaps and pops with heated sap, the flame has a tart taste to it that spreads on the tongue.

Lucy stares at him with disturbingly wide eyes, almost like she's petrified. She sits across from him with her mouth gaping, asking in disbelief. "What—? How did you—why—did you just eat Igny, Natsu?!"

"Uh, you've seen me do it before," he says unfazed by her shock.

"I-I have?"

"Yeah, I think once, at least."

"Oh ... I guess I have. It's just so abnormal. I don't know how you can do that. "

"I eat it because I have to if I want to control Igny. Also because it tastes good. I would offer you some but if you tried eating Igny, I'm sure it'd burn ya."

She puts her face in the palm of her clean hand. In her other hand, the dear leg she as nibbled on remains mostly intake. "Warn me next time you decide to do something crazy, please."

"It's not crazy to me. Anyway, are you done eating already? Females sure don't eat much."

"I ate quite a bit, thank you." Lucy takes a deep breath and brings herself back around, getting over Natsu's odd sense of taste; since he warns her she's going to be seeing it more often in the future. "It's different tasting but in a good way. Back home, the deer are much fuzzier, antlers more like how a mooses are. This is a little sweeter but tastes great after roasting over an Igny."

"I still say fish is better," Happy purrs. He chews on the head of his breakfast, having no trouble eating past the scales and bones.

Natsu's chest puffs out and he waves the flaming stick he eats. "I've mastered Igny easily."

"I have to admit that's one nice thing about living here," she smiles amused.

"Seriously, why don't you come with me on this next hunt? You can chose what to kill for the days meal," Natsu says around a mouth full of Igny.

"I'm good with traps, finding berries, nuts and other fruits, but not bare-handed hunting. I can take down larger animals, too, but that's only with a bow."

"You can take on a cave bear?"

Her jaw slacks. "Uh, no, not that big."

Though unspoken, a part of him is oddly happy that Lucy can't fend off such a large animal. It would be a great opportunity to show how reliable he can be in protecting her if such an easily enraged animal did come along. Although Natsu knows for sure that he would never want Lucy to be on her own in these woods, surrounded by sink holes and nimble predators that could swallow her whole in an instant. He'll always be at her side; she won't have to worry about a single thing.

Her statement also tells Natsu how weak Lucy really is if she can't take down a grizzly. Being able to kill an untamable animal like a cave bear is considered to be a rite of passage for the Male Tribe. When males reach a certain age, to show that their ready for adult hood and to not be treated like a child any longer, a cave bear is considered the forefront animal to kill. Being able to take down a thing like that on your own shows the strength and determination needed to take on life's challenges.

"Eh, don't worry. I can do that for you if one ever comes along," Natsu reassures. He throws the dry stick back into the Igny pit, having eaten all of the flames off of it and leaving the embers behind, not wanting to lick burnt bark with it. The stick settles back into the ash and flames with crackles of sap poping.

Happy eats the rest of his fish before chuckling. "I'm glad you can forage for berries without trouble, Lucy. This poor guy doesn't know the difference between a black berry and a nightmare berry that will send him running for the bushes—"

"Hey, that only happened  _once_ ," Natsu protests.

"Once during the spring and once during the winter of last year, sure."

Picking up the cat by the scruff of his fur, Natsu lightly throws his friend towards the skin hide door. As expected, Happy brings out his wings and saves himself from crashing to the ground with a gleeful laugh at having successfully teased his friend. It's been Happy's favorite pastime since they were kids, getting a rise out of those around him for the sake of bringing about a smile, whether for himself or for others.

Natsu crosses his arms. "Get out of here, Happy. I want to talk to Lucy about somethin'."

"Aw, come on. Lucy, you want me around, don't you?" he asks as if saddened.

"Maybe you should listen to him. He seems serious about this," she says.

He hovers by her head, lightly patting the golden locks of her hair. "Alright, fine, but don't do anything I wouldn't." He ducks low to fly under the skin hide and out into the daylight.

Natsu has never seen Happy be smitten by another person before unlike with Lucy. The two can start a conversation with the thinness of air between them to carry it out and somehow end up laughing at their banter. She treats the male with a gentle fondness, a natural instinct to have something as small as Happy be content in life. It's different compared to how she treats Natsu, not surprising considering he and Lucy will have something Happy could never accomplish. It's their interactions as humans that bring them much closer together.

Having watched the cat leave, Lucy turns back towards Natsu to presumably ask him a question but it dies on her tongue. Coming to find out that despite his size Natsu is much stealthier than most people realize, having mastered the art of sneaking up behind unsuspecting pray and catching them off guard, it allows him to be inches apart from her without realizing it. He can see the wavering in the color of her clear eyes, lighter brown like cocoa towards the edges and hazing into dark earth on a rainy day near the pupil.

When she twitches from his sudden appearance, Natsu gently grabs one of her upper arms. His hold is light enough that she could escape from him without struggle if she wanted to. That hold also tells of another story. How he wants her to never be afraid of him and that it's okay to be this close to one another. It's as with kin comfortable and content with one another.

"What are you doing?" Lucy asks quiet.

"I'm looking," he says simple.

"At … what?"

"You obviously. I've been starin' at you since you got here and while I've gotten used to how you look ... Your cheeks run with blood more than me. You have a smaller nose and pinker lips. You are like me but different at the same."

Lucy ducks her head softly and turns her eyes away. It makes Natsu notice how much longer her eyelashes are, creating long shadows against her rosy cheeks. He can see the way her pulse jumps against her pale throat and her changing scent of nervousness brushes under his nose. It's not a bad kind of nervousness though, as after years of coming to distinguish different scents, Natsu knows there is a type of good anticipation in her nerves. Her shy expression says something to him, innocence and a need to make sure she's cared for however possible. Everything about her urges for him to take care of her. In the same way its instinct for him to survive, a new voice is starting to find its place within him because of Lucy, one that he doesn't understand. Yet, sometimes, instinct isn't meant to be understood but simply done. That's why he didn't hesitate to bring her home and insist that she stay here. Gray would probably call this feeling destiny but Natsu's never been one to believe in that crap, rather burning it to ash and charting his own course in life.

"What do you see? What do I look like to you?" Natsu asks serious, letting her arm go.

Hesitantly, Lucy's eyes come back to his. "You are … sturdy in shape. I see someone who is strong. I don't think I've seen anyone with muscles like you have." Her eyes wonder to his open vest and her stare makes something in his belly fall. He's never been so concerned before about someone else's opinion about him. "Your eyes are sharp and your hair is very unique. Like a ripening strawberry. I see … scars, too. How did you get those?"

Natsu talks with a hint of pride about his scars, as marks like that always tell of victories over past obstacles. "Ah, well, the one on my neck I don't remember how I got. The one by my hip I gained from a battle with another male. Won that fight within an inch of my life but that bastard hasn't been around since."

Lucy reaches out tentatively, her movements obvious in the way that she's trying not to startle him, though that could never happen when he's always aware of her. Her fingers nuzzle along Natsu's jaw line, smoothing their tips down to his neck scar and caressing from there, pushing down his scaly scarf to give a gentle stroke. She traces the edges of the raised skin in thought, taking no heed of his halting breath. He wants to almost shiver under her touch but he snaps his spine still and continues hold back any sort of reaction.

If any of Natsu's brethren put a hand to his throat he'd take it as a challenge but with Lucy it brings about a vibrating force in his body. Why is it only her that makes him feel like this? What  _is_  this feeling in the first place? He wants to be kept in the warmth of her hands. Her compelling scent of honey and lavender sets him at ease in a way no other smell has done before. And his desire to keep her close—the most intense aspect of all— is something he's never felt before with anyone else. His determination to show Lucy that she's in capable hands is starting to become more then what Natsu initially thought. He still wants to prove that his promises are worth his life but he also wants to show that he's worthy of Lucy's companionship in a way that's ... different.

Damn, he wishes he knew what was happening with him. Maybe this why Mas Ter warned to not keep females around? They definitely have some sort of power of males, that much is obvious. Does she feel the same when when she's around him? Do the males hold some sort of power, as well, over the females and that's why their kind can't get along in harmony? Lucy's always been kind of weird to Natsu and he's never been good at reading the mood of a situation, so he can't tell worth a damn if she's affect by him, like he is with her.

Lucy says. "I suppose that's Natsu I'm seeing. You are uniquely you."

Natsu tries to play off the curling of fierce emotions in his body, laughing with a big smile. "Duh, there could never be anyone else like me."

No, whatever these feelings are, they're not bad, Natsu decides. He's gone all of his life surviving on instinct alone, more so than the other members of his tribe after being raised for the first few years of his life by a dragon. This part of him that acts more animal then human at times is ingrained within his very self and therefore is something he can always trust. He knows that whatever he feels towards Lucy doesn't harbor any ill will but he can't act upon them when her touch so easily breaks him down. Only this small female has brought about this timid side to Natsu—beyond the confusion, it can be extremely annoying. Maybe he'll ask Lucy some other time about what's happening with him.

Natsu relaxes when Lucy removes her hand from him, sighing a little. "I guess I'm seeing Lucy, also," he grins. "I've never heard of females until you came along."

"Seems we have a lot to learn about one another," she amends.

* * *

**XxXxXxX**

* * *

The elk are towards the flatter lands past the mountains, a ways off from his territory. While their fur is the best for insulation against the cold, Natsu can't risk being away for days just to get a nice pelt. After elk, sheep skin could work equally as good, their wool luxurious and fluffy. Yet the only sheep around are the ones kept for the Male Tribe, used for the wool, meat and to have the animals keep the grass trimmed in certain places. Natsu's brethren would be after his own hide faster than a rabid dog if he sheered one of their own livestock out of the blue. He's got to figure something else out before the cold season sets in, as it takes some time to cure a fur hide. Lucy came to him only in her summer garb, and while Natsu doesn't mind sharing furs with her, she says she would rather have her own hides that fit properly.

"What are you thinking hard about?" Happy asks.

Surrounded by pines that are beginning to drop their needles, Natsu comes out of his stupor from the cat's voice. His eyes focus back in on Lucy as she gathers berries and herbs in a woven basket, a triumphant smile gracing her face from her easy success.

"I'm thinkin' about getting Lucy some furs. She'd like that," Natsu says.

"Oh, that's a great idea!" Happy flies back to Lucy's side, taking the basket out of her arms and hovering above her. "Natsu's going to make you a pelt."

"Really?" She turns to him in glee, calling out her enthusiasm and saying thanks.

"That was going to be a surprise, Happy!" Natsu says annoyed.

The cat snickers at his antics.

Natsu has come to realize how cunning Lucy can be when using the land to her advantage. The traps she's set have caught him a few times, hidden beneath leaves and bushes to the point of invisibility. The way she can pick out berries, nuts and late blooming fruits with ease, telling him their names, what they can do for the body and what seems to be everything else in-between is astonishing to Natsu. He only thought the animals roaming the land were of use to him but it seems that all around there were items that could have replenished his way of life.

He leaves them be and goes back to his observations. Natsu has continued to learn the ways of the female by not only intently by watching Lucy but by seeing the way animals interact. If there are female humans then there are female animals, a revelation Natsu never thought of before. One way to learn about females is through nature itself, after all.

Quietly encroaching in on a pair of rabbits, he sits on the balls of his feet and holds as still as possible behind the cover of a bush with dark green tinted leaves. He quizzically watches the rabbits, as for once he's not interested in hunting down the delicate animals. Seeing the way these rabbits groom, cuddle and nuzzle noses against one another gets him thinking. It's obvious how to tell a human female apart, being that they have large appendages on their chests and curvier builds, but how is he supposed to tell these two identical white rabbits apart?

The white rabbit on the left rubs its small paw across the tops of its head, flattening its large ears and closing its eyes happily. Maybe that's the male because it's a little bigger than the rabbit to the right? When the fatter rabbit turns around, Natsu finds a dot of black on its rump in the shape of a heart.

Come on, do something. These things are cute but they sure are slow animals. They continue to eat grass for a long enough time that Natsu's about to get back up and go to Lucy.

But then the rabbit with the black heart on its backside gets behind the other rabbit and tries to climb on top of it.

What the—? Are they fighting? Natsu isn't entirely sure what's happening, watching the spotted rabbit convulse its hips on top of the other rabbit. Is it dying?

A male voice calls out in the distance. "Hey, you guys here?" It's a deep tone belonging to Gajeel, a fellow male of the tribe. "Hey, dork!"

Natsu would normally call back, ready to slap an insult back at Gajeel for calling him a dork, but hearing that voice in the middle of these open woods becomes a phantom that makes the center of his gut clench. Shit, why is Gajeel all the way out here? Why now of all times when Lucy is nearby? he thinks uncertain.

He quickly snaps to a stand, scaring away the rabbits into the bushes and firstly checking in on Lucy, smelling her on the wind and finding that she hasn't gone far from where she was. Gajeel is close and coming their way, his own dragon sense of smell telling him which direction to go

Natsu can only conclude that Gajeel is here to get a good look at his female, after so many days of being told to stay away he's finally showing his true colors and testing his limits. Natsu knew it was only a matter of time until one of the guys came stalking around, and while he wouldn't actually mind if Lucy met his friends, Natsu knows she's not ready for it. And Gajeel of all people.

He'll scare her shitless.

Gajeel isn't a bad person, a little rough around the edges and having the mind of an metal rock at times, but Natsu remembers his words upon seeing Lucy for the first time, tied up and defenseless. Gajeel said he didn't care what she was as long as he could eat her, words Lucy clearly remembers from the way she's talked before about the other males and their views towards her. Seeing another male right now when she's slowly getting used to her new home isn't going to go well, Natsu's sure of that. For Lucy's own sake, he's going to have to hide her away and make sure that Gajeel doesn't find her.

Natsu runs to where Lucy was last, trying to keep his steps light to not alert Gajeel and begin the hunt.

"I think I have enough blue berries but I wasn't able to find—" Before Lucy can finish her sentence, he urgently grabs her by the arm and hauls here away to a nearby oak. She drops her basket of berries, sending it clattering to the ground and most likely giving signal to Gajeel where they are, being that his hearing is just as good as Natsu's.

Cut deep into the trunk of an old oak tree, a narrow opening in the wood creates the perfect hiding spot for them. He pushes Lucy into the hole firstly.

"Hey, what's happening?" she asks surprised.

"Happy, can you distract Gajeel?" Natsu asks quickly.

Flying above them with a confused stare but a complying nod, Happy says. "Aye, sir! I'll do what I can. But what for?"

"Lucy isn't ready to meet another male yet, so get Gajeel out of here."

"Sure, sure, if she wants to play hide and seek then I'll play along."

Natsu and Lucy cram together in the tree trunk, rubbing into dry wood and a deepening darkness. Little pits in the trunk tell of termites that once took home in the tree, hence its slow demise, and luckily that has made the wood soft against the skin. They press front-to-front together, the space tight enough that it makes it hard to breathe, ribs rubbing against one another, thighs pressing close and feet tangling. It doesn't help that Lucy's large chest takes up most of the space, pushing up like inflated bags against Natsu. For a split second, a part of his mind is filled with elation at having this part of Lucy be close to him again but those thoughts are quickly overshadowed when a gravely tone reaches his ears.

"Happy, have you seen the Igny dork anywhere?" Gajeel asks. He raises an eyebrow of studded Metalicana to the basket of berries left behind, its contents scattered to the forest floor.

Natsu narrows his sharp eyes, focusing out of the small opening of the tree trunk to watch his friend. Gajeel shouldn't be able to sniff them out, the smell of the rotting bark and oak leaves overpowering their own scents stuffed inside this air-tight hole. Natsu about chokes on his breath when Gajeel looks his way but it's only for a split second, the fellow dragon raised boy looking only vaguely at the tree with no intent of searching for humans. Despite Natsu being able to see clearly out of the opening, Gajeel shouldn't be able to see into the darkness of the trunks hole.

Luckily Happy quickly comes to the distraction to keep Gajeel off their trail. "Last I saw him he was in a hurry. Off to the river, I think. Along with Lucy."

He snorts. "Ah, so that female thing  _is_  still with him. What an idiot. If he's at the river that must mean he's finally going to get rid of those parasites of his."

Natsu mashes his teeth. He does not have parasites!

"I'm going to go and see him. Mas Ter is getting concerned with that female he's keeping and he wants to check up on Natsu to make sure he hasn't been bewitched or done somethin' stupid."

"Too late for that," Happy chuckles.

They talk for a little longer—hurry up and get out of here!—going agonizingly slow as they inch towards the river beyond a thicket of trees.

* * *

**XxXxXxX**

* * *

"Natsu what are you—!"

"Shh, stay quiet," he whispers against her ear.

Lucy desperately wants to scream due to the way his voice makes her want to shiver. She isn't prepared for this! In all this time, she hasn't gotten anywhere  _near_  this close to Natsu and now all of sudden she's become like a second skin against him. What is going on? Why won't Natsu let her talk? Why did he insist on shoving them together in this tree trunk?

Once she came to reluctantly accept that Natsu's heightened senses wouldn't allow her to escape without a fight, Lucy has taken to silently but thoroughly examining Natsu. She's decided to dedicate her time here in getting to know the male body by sight and smell over the passing days. When she eventually got comfortable enough with his presence, she would get to know the hard plains of Natsu's body by touch, to memorize every curve, divot and roll of male anatomy like a human with some intelligence. She would then slowly gain confidence in both herself and in Natsu to eventually get to know his Sacred Rod, the thing that truly separates them from male to female. Lucy wanted to take her time in getting to know the make of his body.

Half of those steps feel as if they've has been thrown to the wind.

Natsu's toned chest presses firmly against hers in this tight crevice he's pushed them into, making it impossible to get her mind off of anything else but the way he feels against her. He really is made of muscle, those hardened parts of his body rubbing against the softer skin of her stomach, down to her hips and having their legs tangle together. Arms don't know where to go or are given no thought to. She keeps her hands gripping the animal pelt covering his broad shoulders, trying to find purchase in this maddening situation he's put them in. Natsu's arms wrap around her waist, a left-over effect from when he pushed her into their hiding spot, and his hands rest gently against the small of her back.

It's a good thing his face is turned away from her, staring out into the bright light of the open forest through the small opening of the hollow tree trunk, because Lucy wouldn't be able to live it down if he saw how bright red her face is. The tips of her ears burn, the air itself has become much too hot to breathe comfortably—whether that's because of the tight space or because she's noticed Natsu has an affinity for affecting the heat around him, she's not sure. The sweltering warmth of their bodies coming together is unlike anything she's felt before. She embarrassingly sweats against him, having her skin cling to him and making it that much more difficult to properly move.

What else is she supposed to do but give in to what's happening? Especially when her heart beats at such a rapid rate she can hear it in her ears, almost as if it's taking some last desperate attempts to keep beating before dying out.

Speaking of dying, she was expecting Natsu's Sacred Rod to stab her fatally, being that it does have enough strength to scare away her tribe's second-in-command, Erza. In fact, despite being close enough to feel every contour of his body; Lucy doesn't feel much of anything where his Scared Rod should be besides a bump that sits below her belly button. Males sure are confusing creatures. Where could Natsu's Sacred Rod have gone to? Hiding away, maybe, when there's no action to be taken upon?

Natsu leans to the side a little, looking further out of the crack in the hollow tree to watch something. He doesn't seem to mind in the least what's happening between them, no sweat coming from him when his body is used to the sweltering heat, no twitches of discomfort in order to try and gain some space between them.

That's when Lucy's hearing opens past the rushing of her heart. A very deep voice, like that of the devil finding its tongue, startles her into freezing against Natsu. It's another male from the sound of the baritone, large, foreboding and a threat. Suddenly she understands why she was shoved into this hiding spot. Natsu is protecting her.

She's been told by Natsu that the other males aren't bad people but that maybe she should avoid them for now until they calmed down. It's that exact excitement in the first place that makes Lucy uncertain of the other males, fearing that their curiosity could turn into aggressiveness at any moment due to not understanding what she is. When she first got sight of the other males, tight upside down to a stick and up on display in the middle of the tribe, most seemed to not care for her, others tried to challenge her for unknown reasons and some thought she wouldn't make too good of a meal. She remembers most of them having that same rock-hard build like Natsu, a frightful sight to her when she knows it would be impossible to fight them off if they chose to attack in a group.

With Natsu being the only male that Lucy can trust right now, she doesn't question at this point in time if this male outside of their hiding spot has good intentions or not. She doesn't want to be stalked like some animal, debating if she should confront this male and chase him off. The idea is quickly shot down though when a wave of uncontrollable fear makes her hands clenches Natsu's pelt. She's wearier of these other males then she wants to admit to her usually confident self. Lucy would eventually like to get to know the other males, because the more information she can take back the Female Tribe the better, certain she'll make more escape attempts in the future, but she'll have to wait a little longer for that. When she knows for sure that none of the males mean her harm, things can move forward. Lucy supposes she did get lucky and got the nicest male out of the bunch to huddle up with.

Lucy gently presses her forehead into Natsu's scarf, burrowing the tip of her nose into the fabric that smells like him, that of soothing forest and burnt ash. It's a smell she's beginning to associate with the comfort of a full belly and a sturdy roof over her head. It's what she had in the Female Tribe, but there's a different type of comfort when it's done with Natsu beside her. Lucy declaws her fingers from his pelt and is able to move her hands down to rest against his upper chest, feeling Natsu's heart thumping under her fingertips. His skin is so smooth but taint at the same time.

Natsu sighs quietly. "I think he's gone."

"Who was it?" she asks worried.

"His name is Gajeel. I'm pretty sure he means you no harm but he's not very good when it comes to ... interacting with people. Meeting him is like meeting a monster with a melted heart. It seems Mas Ter wants to summon me." Lucy can feel his face come back around to look down at the top of her head, his chin brushing against her hair. "I didn't think you'd want to meet another male, so I pushed you in here. But you could always meet Gajeel, if you want to."

Lucy quickly shakes her head. "No, he doesn't sound very nice. Maybe some other time."

"That's okay. Do you want to make a run for it back to the hut for the night?"

She nods in agreement to that. She definitely doesn't want Natsu out of her sight for the night with another male out on the prowl close to his territory.

She lifts her head to try and read Natsu's face, to see that glimmer of a promise in his eyes to protect her, but due to the tightness of the hollow tree trunk there's no room for their breath to find space.

Her mouth brushes against his.

It's a ghost of a touch but the warmth of his lips is unmistakable, her own mouth pulling open slightly to gasp from the sensation. Natsu's mouth drops open in surprise, having their lips overlap and their front teeth touch slightly, a wetness being shared between them. His hands squeeze her hips tightly, unconsciously bringing her a little closer to him, close enough to have their noses bump. Lucy notices for the first time the specks of green reflecting in the darkness of Natsu's eyes that stare wide open right back at her. A spark of electricity snaps between them and her chest heaves against his. Something heavy begins to hover in the air, a thickness like fog and wetter then the rain.

Lucy quickly ducks her head, thumping her forehead into his shoulder and closing her eyes. "Ah, sorry, sorry!" she says.

The sound made when their lips parted! A suction of flesh coming apart. Oh, Goddess, what is this?

Natsu squirms and clears his throat. "It's fine. Don't know what that was, anyway ..."

They both silently agree it's time to get out of the hollow trunk, struggling against one another to get out at the same time. Having become highly aware of Natsu's body, every move of muscle and his encased scent from having to hide in such a confined, hot space makes Lucy all the more desperate to get away. Skin scraps against deteriorated bark and arms bash against body parts. They escape with gasps of fresh air.

Natsu rubs his hand against the back of his neck and looks to the ground. "Forget the berries, just get your basket."

Lucy is starting to panic, not because of what happened but because of what touching Natsu's lips did to the pace of her heart. Before it was pounding widely like an untamable lion but as soon as their lips came together it changed. The lion calmed down and morphed into a humming bird. Beats skipped and that fluttering sensation came back at full force, enough that her chest almost felt as if it really does hurt. It still hurts.

Here and there in the weeks that have passed together with Natsu the flutter would come back, sometimes no more then a skip in beat, sometimes so powerful it's hard to breath. In all this time, Lucy still hasn't found out what that bodily reaction of hers is all about. She knows that normally whenever Natsu would do something kind, give that easy-going smile and make her laugh to the point of a rib threatening to crack, that she would find it harder to keep a steady rhythm to her heart. She soars at his caring gestures, that much is obvious, but why would a simple touching of his mouth have this fluttering come around as strongly as it does?

This fluttering she has currently is different then before. Sweet, bashful almost, in the way it's steady but thumping so harshly that it rocks her ribs. There's a tenderness that spreads out from her very soul and whispers that what happened is endearing.

So what they did … it's supposed to be something pleasant, it seems.


	3. Cyssan

"I think you should leave Mas Ter alone," Happy advises. "Who cares if he doesn't like Lucy? You're the one that found her—you get to keep her."

"I told him that before but I don't think he gets it," Natsu frowns.

Walking through the heart of the tribe, the male's don't bother to rag on Natsu any longer, having gotten their fun out of him concerning Lucy. By this point, they've found that teasing him had become rather boring, not when Natsu was used to their mouths and refused to entice a reaction anymore. Many of the men return home after working hard with roughened muscles and aching backs in the fields, tending to the unwanted weeds and making sure that the tomatoes are growing ripe red. Some gather outside trading huts, chewing dried meat and talking about mundane things. Others continue to put hard work into maintaining the village, like Macao and his boy, Romeo, who carry heavy spruce wood in preparation for the torches that are lit at night around the village for those wondering in the dark of night.

On their way to see Mas Ter, as he can't avoid the old man forever, Natsu steels his stubbornness to tell Mas Ter that he can piss off if he doesn't like Lucy. She hasn't done any harm and doesn't deserve his wrath or suspicion any longer.

Mas Ter's hut is located away from the village, the old man wanting to avoid the noise where markets, trades and social gathers happen, rather living towards the northern side of the Male Tribe where the farm fields are. While he doesn't do any field work himself in his old age, Mas Ter says he likes the calm view and the smell of ripening crops towards the end of autumn. Natsu can smell the way the fresh corn stalks coat the air, giving off a nostalgic feeling and reminding him of summery days relaxing by the river when he was younger. As of now, the farm lands have been abandoned of people, the bright green of the trees behind the fields creating an outline for the dusty soil. Next to the long rows of corn are tomatoes, their vines held up by sticks stuck into the ground that they cling to, longingly reaching for the fullness of the Big Igny that shines down on them. Towards the other side of the fields are cauliflower, spinach and an assortment of other food that Natsu isn't too fond of. He'd rather eat animal meat.

It takes Natsu a moment to notice when Happy falls behind, normally hearing his wings flapping nearby. Walking beside the corn field on a dirt road, Natsu raises an eyebrow at his friend's weird behavior, finding Happy floating to a stop and staring directly into the corn field.

"What's up, Bud?" Natsu calls.

"I thought I saw something," he says slowly in confusion.

"It's probably a boar."

"No, boars don't come this close to the village. And it was white!"

He shrugs and places his arms behind his head, slowly turning towards Mas Ter's home that's not too far ahead. "Whatever. I'm going. Tell me later on what you find."

Happy nods in answer and begins to calmly float into the rows of corn, his wide eyes curious. Natsu swears he hears the scurrying of a startled animal and Happy's voice rise in surprise, but it's not quite the right tone, higher pitched than normal. Natsu doesn't worry though, knowing Happy can handle himself.

Having the largest hut in the Male Tribe, Mas Ter's home showcases ranking and privilege among the men, decorated with bones, lush furs and beads that are strung along the outside walls. At the top of the hut is a hole where smoke exits from, the design unique to the male tribe leader. The outside is elegant and well maintained by the other males who are more than happy to help their elder tribe leader when needed, although Natsu knows that Mas Ter plays up his age to get out of doing chores like the lazy-ass he can be. Inside the hut is another story.

Geez, the old guy is messier then I am, Natsu thinks in surprise. Animal skins flattened to thin strips are scattered about on the floor and a small cup of blood used to write on the skins is spilled over next to the papers, destroying an entire sheet in the process. Traded spices in skin bags and furs hang from hooks on the curved ceiling. An assortment of other items that keep the village in order are strewn about, showing a man with horrible organization skills but a dedication to his people.

"This way, stupid boy," Mas Ter calls apathetically from his seat on the floor. The large Igny pit he sits before splendidly heats the place, its uncomfortable heat nothing to Natsu but much needed for an old man with slow moving blood.

Natsu snorts. "If you're going to be an ass then I'm going to leave."

"Eh, after the calamity you brought to this place, I think I earned the right to call you that at least once. Toughen up. After all, you're the newest Brave this village has seen in a long time." The stretch lines around Mas Ter's mouth and the wrinkles on his forehead tighten with his grin. That frisky look also tells that he has something specific he wants to talk about and he's trying to sugar coat it for now.

Natsu cautiously sits across from Mas Ter on a large moose pelt. "I heard from Gajeel's hollering that you've been lookin' for me."

"Ah, and here Gajeel told me that all of his searches come up empty handed."

His skin bristles. "Spit it out. I can guess what you want from me and Lucy."

The old man's bone necklace clashes against his thin chest when he turns to the boy. "Learn to speak to your elders a little nicer, you cur. You've brought trouble to me since the moment you strolled into this village after that dragon of yours left and you haven't learned a single thing when it comes to manners since."

"Lucy isn't any trouble," he insists, hearing Mas Ter's double-edged meaning. "If this is about her, then forget it. She's mine and I'm not giving her up. Besides that, she's a great help. I don't get why you think she's such a bad human."

"I'm sure she is a good girl and I won't dispute your claim over her."

Natsu mutters annoyed. "Then don't act so stupid."

Mas Ter slaps a thin thigh to get the conversation back on track. The clay cup beside him rattles on the floor but doesn't tip from his quick movement. "As I said before, females have been the bane of man for centuries. They have conquered land and sea in easy success. They are a foe to beware of if not befriended. I was hoping that perhaps with Lucy, us males could get in touch with the local Female Tribe and get on good terms with them."

"Why didn't you try before all of this if you knew about females in the first place?" Natsu asks.

"I was originally hoping to avoid the trouble but it can't be helped now, thanks to you." Mas Ter takes a large drink of crush grape juice mixed with mead, a mixture he calls wine, and coughs slightly at the sting of too much alcohol in his shriveled throat. He goes on with a croak in his voice. "I want to give you a story, since you refuse to give the female up. There are many things we are alike in, us males and females, but so many things we differ in. I only wish to confirm something you might be feeling when it comes to this Lucy girl." The smirk he gives is concerning to Natsu. "Does being around that girl make you want to chase her?"

"I've chased after a couple of times already, since she doesn't know how to hold still."

"Ah, puberty always hits hard …"

"Huh?"

"Nothing."

The old man tells Natsu of a time when he met his first female, back when he was the Brave of the tribe, young with youthful skin and energy that could let him climb a mountain. The female he found was a beauty, Mas Ter says, having hair lighter than a blushed rose and always wearing magnificent pins in those lush locks. Named Porlyusica, she was pure as a midnight moon and as stubborn as a cow. Mas Ter had never found himself as interested in another human as he did with that woman, coming to find out what it meant to truly put someone else's well-being before his own. It was an intense sensation Mas Ter hasn't felt since, as taking care of the tribe is one thing but watching that female simply smile at him was something else entirely. And now he asks if it's the same thing Natsu feels towards Lucy.

Said boy looks to one of his hands, bearing scratches on the palm and dirt embedded under the nails. In comparison to Lucy soft features, he can't help but think how contrasting they are from one another. He snorts lightly at the thought and comes back around with a smile. "I like being around Lucy. She's kind and smart. She's really important to me." He pauses. "Sometimes, when she looks at me though, I kind of want to vomit."

Mas Ter cough's out a laugh. "That's good to hear! I'm sure if you're won her favor then she's worth the keep. But don't keep her cooped up in that funny-smellin' hut of yours day in and day out. You'll only drive her buck wild."

"I'll keep that in mind …"

He takes a long drink of wine before giving a large sigh. "I'm sure there's nothing I can't tell you about females that Lucy can't tell you in better detail. Have you two been open to one another?"

He smiles proud. "Yeah, she's super neat. She can do this thing with—"

"I don't need to hear your pride like she's some common house cat.  _I mean_ , has she explained to you what she really is? How her tribe differed from us? How she works with the world when she's nothing like us?"

"... She's told me little."

"Keep communicating. You'll get to understanding one another over time. Who knows, I might get to see a baby for the first time in over fifty years."

Natsu frowns, not understanding what he means. What's a baby?

"Here's a bit of information. If you ever see small animals in the forest, little fawns, small foxes and delicate birds, following bigger animals—that being their mothers—then those little animals came about because a male and female came together—"

"Ah-ha, there are male and female animals!" he shouts eager. "I knew it. How can you tell them apart though? They all look too damn alike."

"Your smarter than most people give you credit for. Well, if you really must know how to tell them apart, the females are the ones that give life."

His shoulders slump. "You lost me again. So, they're the reason animals start off so small?"

Mas Ter explains how the young ones are called by many names—whelps, kits, babies and so on—an aspect that Natsu never took an interest in until now. He was aware of these baby things existing but he never questioned where they came from or what they necessarily were, simply knowing his whole life that they existed and would eventually get big. It seems that many of the males in the tribe never thought of such a thing either, considering it isn't a concern for anyone to talk about.

"How do you think Romeo came about?" Mas Ter asks. "He's not fully grown and he started off even smaller, as you remember. He was once a babe. You didn't question where he came from?"

Natsu says he never really thought about it.

He sighs disappointed. "You and everyone else. Although, I guess it's a good thing everyone took Romeo in as one of your own without question, but Romeo didn't come about out of thin air. Macao once found a female to his liking and they got together. That's how Romeo was created and left in Macao's care."

Natsu's back straightens. "Macao knows about females?"

"Yup, though he avoids talking about his old flame since she left him. He once told me he didn't want to bother tellin' you guys about females because all they do it 'tear your heart out' or somethin' of that effect."

"I still don't get it. How does a guy and girl meeting make something smaller? The female is the one that gives life … But  _how_? How does a girl …?"

"I'm not explaining any more than that, you fool." Mas Ter waves a paper-thin hand in dismissal. "No way on my life am I giving you the Birds and the Bee's talk right now."

"You're no help. What do bird and bees have to do with this?" he snorts.

"Nothing. Now, there is at least one thing I do want to warn you about. Make sure that if you and Lucy get close, and I mean close in a way that it's like touching souls, that you come back to me. I've give you that birdy-bee talk then, if you want to hear me out. I might not want to talk about this crap with you but I'm not going to let you go into battle totally blind either, if it comes down to that. There's some other stuff I gotta tell you about but maybe when you mature a little more."

"I'm plenty mature!"

"Says the boy who hadn't a clue what a female even was! Never-the-less, you seem to be falling for this girl, so make sure to treat her right."

"Falling for her?" he questions quietly.

"Love is a strange thing—powerful and frightening but not something bad. I suppose you're going to go through some hard times but don't worry, they'll be worth it. And if you ever need a shoulder to cry on, then go to Gray for that 'cause I ain't helpin' ya."

That's a confusing thing to hear for Natsu. Does he love Lucy? He supposes he must, since he took her in ... but that doesn't sound right, either.

Natsu grimaces and pretends to not react towards that particular word. He'd rather think this through on his own without Mas Ter's so called "advise" ringing in his head. "Like Lucy would make me cry, old man," he says.

"That's all I can tell you for today," Mas Ter says. "Get out of here. Oh, and tell Lucy I said hello. Bring her around next time you come to the village. I want to meet her!"

Glad to leave, Natsu heads out on the hunt with confusion keeping him company. They could have talked about the more important details, things Mas Ter seems to want to leave out in the blue for the moment, but Natsu will worry about those things later on. It's obvious they're going to have to meet back up with the Female Tribe at some point to discuss a peace treaty, which is a big pain-in-the-ass, as Natsu would rather fist-fight his way into peace, so he might as well enjoy these summery days with his female while he can.

Is he really in love with Lucy?

Natsu loves is father, Igneel, and can only hope for his safe return. His brotherly kinship with his tribe can never be broken and he would do anything to keep this place he calls home safe. And Happy has been by his side since he came from that egg—an egg Natsu now realizes must have come from a female!—and he loves the little fur-ball with all he's got. Of course, he cares for Lucy, deeply in fact. He wants to always ensure her happiness and to keep any tears away. That must be love if nothing else he feels for her.

It's not on the same level as the other in his life though, Natsu can tell that. The fascination he found within Lucy has steadily turned into a powerful fondness, capturing his attention in a way that's almost alarming. So he just likes her more intensely then the others in his life? He guesses he's allowed the play favorites, though Happy wouldn't like it if he heard that. Or maybe what he and Lucy have feels different because she's female?

That prettiness of Lucy's is something Natsu noticed right way upon meeting her, even when he wasn't sure what she was. He saw how she gave off this unnerving attraction, a type of delicate flower he'd never seen before but knew right away that it was unique and highly valuable. He's not sure what the average female is considered to look like, but from what he remembers of the other females that tried to take Lucy away, Natsu thinks that Lucy is still the prettiest one among them. From the start he acknowledge that she had a strange sense of beauty to her but now, after what happened in the hollow tree trunk a few days ago, there's more to it. Watching the way she'll move her body in graceful steps, that pout her lower lips gives when she's fussy or the way she has a tendency to stroke her fingers through her golden hair are all endearing actions that Natsu notices all the time. He took it as some kind of magical aspect of Lucy's, at first, but it's plain obvious when something is pretty, not getting around that. Females are strange but very pretty creatures, and he's no fool to not notice such a thing.

Natsu smiles with pride, thinking that such a pretty thing is a part of his family. The other males can bite him for it in jealousy.

There's also a little voice whispering in his head that he can't compare to her. Is he worthy to keep such a rare thing around when its like looking at a God among humans? He took her in without much thought beyond simply wanting her but now Natsus question himself. Can he still stand beside her and not fall behind on their journey though life? He guesses it doesn't matter as long as Lucy likes having him around.

And beyond that, what does any of this matter? Natsu's gotten used to being around Lucy and it's become second-nature to expect his instincts to kick into overdrive by simply looking at her. It's okay to like her calming scent and to bask in her gentle touches ... it's nice to see her welcome him home. Love in itself is a frustrating and confusing emotion to think about, add into the fact how attractive Lucy is and things get too muddle to understand clearly. In the first-place, thinking is not Natsu's best forte. He'd rather keep doing what they've been doing and let it be. What's important is not how easily he came to care for Lucy but rather that he cares for her right in this moment. All these days of slowly getting comfortable with each other and coming to value her friendship have slipped into one giant moment for him, as summer has never come this fast before.

Ignoring this hectic topic and going on the hunt, Natsu takes down an eight-point buck, a simple task despite not having a spear, used to the toss and tumble of battle against the king of the forest. When he got the animal by the horns, the battle had been won with a quick snap of it's neck. Natsu prides himself in the catch of a life-time. Lucy's sure to love this!

The deer is hauled over his shoulders and bleeding from its nostrils when he pauses on his way home. In the grove of a tree where the earth dips to form an underground home, he watches a pair of fox's bump muzzles. How come he's never noticed animals doing stuff like that before? From the rabbits, to the tricksters. Do all animals show such affection?

Natsu balances the buck above his shoulders and kneels in a low bush to silently watch the animals in their play. Bushy tails frolic, slinky bodies swiftly circle one another and little paws pad the ground. They're elegant animals until they open their mouths and sound like dying dogs. They go back to muzzle touching, a little peck against the mouth, a quick lick of the tongue against a fuzzy cheek.

It reminds Natsu of what happened in the hollow tree he and Lucy hide in when Gajeel came stalking around a couple of days ago. She lifted her head and their mouths touched for a brief moment, giving him a heart-pounding headache and letting his breath catch—fuck it, the same rhythm wants to start back up from the thought of their encounter alone. Her mouth was extremely supple and the whisper of her breath floating over his skin made his flesh ripple with a shiver that he held back with all of his damn control.

The amount of heat she gave off! He didn't notice at first, as any heat source he's became numb to overtime because of his gift towards Igny, but after Lucy's mouth touched his, Natsu become sensitive to every inch of her body. How warm, smooth and squishy she really is. Her hips fitted under his hands like they were meant for him to hold and her chest pushing up against his reminded Natsu of sand, soft yet firm. In that moment, Lucy gave off a particular scent that made his teeth grind in restraint, a must behind her usual smell that he didn't know where it was coming from. He's still not sure what his reaction towards her meant, but all he needs to know is that her being that close felt good. He's tried recreating the same feeling by keeping close to her, practically sitting in her lap at one point, but despite being punch in the face by her to get away, he didn't feel nearly as excited as he did before when they touched lips.

Watching the foxes, Natsu wonders if nuzzling mouths is something only to be done by those with a certain type of bond. A kinship that means … what was the word Mas Ter used? Touching souls?

Ah, perhaps it means more than what Natsu thinks. Upon seeing three little fox kits come out of the nest, he eagerly realizes that the grown foxes have to be a male and female pair. At least visiting Mas Ter resulted in some sort of knowledgeable gain.

Nuzzling mouths must be a common gesture to do between male and females considering these animals, who go along in life by instinct and nature alone, figured it out long before man did. Natsu never thought of doing such a thing to another person, as the thought of touching a male's mouth makes Natsu want to vomit, not literally but it's not pleasant to think about, hence he didn't realize mouth nuzzling was a thing before this. The thought of going back to Lucy though …

Igneel told Natsu little of what it means to find a significant other. A once in a life-time mate, the dragon had called it, though Natsu's sure what the word 'mate' means. Shit, he can't remember if Igneel even told him if females existed. He probably did but as a stupid kid there was no way Natsu was going to pay attention to something like that.

Giving up an all of these insane things for now, as this itching in his brain will drive him nuts if he tries to think about it anymore, Natsu stands and carries his kill back to an awaiting Lucy.

And when he gets back it's not a pleasant sight.

This little prick, he thinks.

Kneeling in secrecy outside the skin hide of their hut, Gray peeks around the opening of the doorway to try and take a gander at Lucy who remains inside.

Gray is the one male in the village Natsu is honestly closest to, having known each other since they were young enough to wet the bed. Most of the time they get along well. They take fun in their tussles, competitions and forming a friendship through drinks, but it's also within that friendship that a rivalry was born. They always have to find ways to out-do one another, to see who is stronger and Gray has some bad habits that annoying the shit out of Natsu much of the time. Besides the obvious uncontrollable way Gray strips his pelts off any chance he gets, Gray's a thinker and that makes him slow, pushing Natsu's patience to the limits a lot of the time. Those differences between one another aren't enough to break a blond like they have, as Natsu has trusted his life with Gray on more than one occasion, but it's hard not to hold each other back from getting into a fight.

Not withstanding all of that, there's something about seeing Gray stalk like a snake ready to strike at Lucy that pinches a nerve. Natsu thinks about getting the upper hand and jumping the poor bastard to scare him off, wondering about his motivations—is Gray actually curious or is this some sort of test? Is he spying on Lucy for the other guys or was Mas Ter telling the truth and that Lucy is his to care for permanently?

Those questions don't need to be thought about for long. Let's face it; Gray is most likely here out of confusion. He might not agree with the Icy Princess all the time but its hard not to understand someone when you've been around them for most of their life.

Natsu drops the dead buck harshly to the ground, the large smack of the carcass capturing Gray's attention. Ice Princess twitches harshly and jerks around to find an agitated Natsu. He tries to play off being caught, standing up nonchalantly and placing an easy-going hand on his pelt covered hip. He's lucky that bad habit of his hasn't kicked in, showing off his Sacred Rod to anything around him. Not that Natsu would give a shit, being desensitized by the habit, but more so for Lucy's sake.

"Hey, Flame Brain," Gray smirks.

He crosses his arms and sighs. "If you wanted to meet Lucy, you could have asked. Not like you had to sneak around."

"You've been keeping the female to yourself long enough that I wasn't sure if you would let me meet her at all. I know you hoard things like a dragon but it was getting kind of ridiculous. All the guys think you've gone nuts and I think they're right, man."

"What I do with Lucy is none of your business. Anyway, it's not as if I have a say if she can or cannot have friends, you know."

"Then why hasn't she come to the village?" he challenges.

Natsu blandly explains that since the other guys were acting weird upon seeing her, he didn't want them bombarding Lucy and scaring her when males are such a new thing to her.

Gray has to reluctantly agree that it's something that would have happen, too, had she been introduced sooner …

"Seriously, don't be such a creep," Natsu snorts light. "As long as you don't do something stupid to her, it's okay. I think Lucy's comfortable enough by not to at least meet you."

"I wouldn't do anything your thinking and you know it." His mouth slacks. "I hope you're not treating this female—Lucy, you said?—like a pet still."

"He doesn't," she says scornful.

Having obviously heard their voices, Lucy peeks past the buffalo hide flap and throws daggers at this new male with her sharp eyes. She refuses to hide like a shrew in the fields but also doesn't push her luck, keeping to the inside safety of the hut. She grips the doorway and balances on the tips of her toes, perhaps prepared to make a mad dash out of the hut if Gray does anything she doesn't like.

"Hey, Lucy! I brought home dinner!" Natsu smirks, pocking at the dead buck with his foot. "You can come out. This guy's Gray. He might sound stupid but he's not as bad as he seems."

"Don't make me come over there and hurt you," he grimaces. Turning back to Lucy, Gray clears his throat and shows a kinder smile. "I'm glad you decided to come out. Trust me, I really don't mean you any harm. Natsu's overreacting."

"Weren't you the one of the guys that said I didn't look like I'd taste good?" she asks. Why does it sound like she's insulted by that?

"Ah, yeah, that was me. Sorry about that, but you can't blame a guy. You're the first female I've seen. How was I supposed to know you weren't a snack?"

"From looking at me …" she says bland. "Are you a friend of Natsu's?"

"Yeah, I guess you could say that," Natsu answer for him. "We've known each other for a long time."

Lucy keeps her eyes set on the black-haired male and the way she examines him sets Natsu's stomach knotting. He wants to make her stop looking at Gray in that same curious way she's eyed him before.

Natsu's been jealous many times in his life. Whenever one of the guys would be able to accomplish something with the flick of a wrist that took him pounds of strength to do. Whenever he thought he had the upper hand in bringing home the largest kill of the day only to be outdone. Once when the runt of the tribe, Romeo, light his first Igny he felt betrayed by the Matriarch of the world, no longer the lone male that could produce such treasured Igny. He knows this feeling of want, of possessiveness and desire, all too well. It's an ugly little thing that makes his temper rise and his Igny flare out of control at times.

He doesn't let that happen though, breathing slowly through his nostrils and pushing aside those feelings. He shouldn't be concerned over Gray being here enough to let that happen, being that Gray is no rival to him. He could scrap his hide any day without a challenge.

While Lucy is curious about Gray, she's weary of his presence too, slowly inching out of the doorway but keeping close to home with defensive posture. Natsu purses his lips, not liking Lucy acting as such. She shouldn't have to worry about being in another male's presence while he's here to make sure things go right.

"You don't seem like a bad male," she says calmer.

"Good," Gray nods in approval. "Glad to finally meet you. Hope Flame Brain has been treating you nicely. He's a bit much."

Natsu sneers. "I've been treating her fine, jerk."

She gently let's go of the doorway when she finds no threat from the new male, coming further out by an inch. Her hand stays up as if reaching back for the doorway, perhaps uncertain about coming closer to who she considers a stranger.

Natsu quickly goes to Lucy's side, stopping with his back to her to act as a reassuring shield. She comes out of the hut to half-way hide behind Natsu. The action of her relying on him for protection has his chest puff out in pride at her oblivious display of trust in _this_  male.

Grays head tilts to the side. "When I really look at you, you sure are pretty."

"Oh, thank you." She tucks some of her sunny hair behind an ear and smiles like a flower in the summer heat. She gently says to Natsu, "I want to meet him, if that's okay. I want to get to know your species better."

"You don't need to ask me for such a thing. Go ahead," he says.

They each ask simple questions, things Natsu already knows about Lucy and things he came to find out he doesn't know about Gray. Lucy does that to people, your deepest secrete could become a simple whim of a tale within her soft presence. He watches the way Lucy's eyes are constantly on the move, as if jotting down little notes inside of her head about what she sees and hears. If she's comparing Gray to him, Natsu can only hope that he's the dominant male between the two of them.

The more they talk about boring things the more relaxed Lucy becomes, coming away from hiding behind Natsu and getting comfortable with her curiosity being appeased to. It seems that she and Gray get along well, something Natsu's surprisingly happy with, if not a touch of envy. Having his female become friends with another life-long friend makes Natsu smile a little. But if she wants to go to the Male Tribe and meet the others … eh, the guys might have stopped teasing him but he's not sure yet if the guys have enough control for such a thing yet. In any event, talking with Gray  _is_  a good step towards peaceful results between the males and Lucy.

"Your kind sure is funny," Gray comments. "Hey, what's the name of the female with light blue hair from your tribe? She's the one that broke our dam."

"Oh, that's Juvia. I think she took a liking to you from the way she was acting," Lucy chuckles.

"Hmm …" He looks out to the Big Igny that stands high above the tree line, going in and out between the fluffed-up clouds that slowly linger in the sky.

"If you want to get your own female, you're going to have to go and get her yourself, Ice Dick," Natsu smirks.

Gray's eyes widen and a slight blush graces his face. "That's none of your concern, Crotch Fire."

"I don't get how you two can be friends when you talk like that to one another," Lucy sighs.

Natsu scoffs in amusement. "Think of it as banter. We don't really mean it ... most of the time, anyway."

"Sorry, I suppose I _should_  get going and leave it at this," Gray says. "I have business to attend to before the Big Igny goes beyond the trees. Natsu, keep your paws to yourself while I'm gone. I'll see you later then, Lucy." He waves goodbye to them both and walks off towards the village without a care.

Natsu rolls his eyes in the direction Gray went but doesn't mean anything spiteful by it.

"Gray seems like a fine male to me," Lucy says.

"Yeah, he controlled himself, at least. His Sacred Rod stayed in place, lucky for him. If it hadn't, it would have been a good excuse to rip it off."

"I suppose if more males are like Gray, then it wouldn't be that bad for me to try and visit the tribe. I mean, when you think the time is right. They might not be bad but I'll still leave it up to you when to approach them, since I don't really understand this whole Sacred Rod thing."

"Eh, that's nothing you really have to worry about. I'd be worry more about how weird some of 'em can get, but I bet you had weird females in your old tribe, too," he shrugs.

"I might not be able to take down a bear like you can, Natsu, but that doesn't mean I can't defend myself if one of those males gets a little too weird for me."

"You wouldn't have to do that, since I'll always be around to make sure those weirdos know their place." He grins wide, eyes crinkling around their edges from that radiant smile. "You can go to the Male Tribe whenever you want—actually no, wait, in the next few weeks or somethin'. I want to make sure on a few more things before you go. But when you do go, I'll go with you, since I ain't trustin' the other guys to keep their Sacred Rods under control."

She raises an eyebrow. "I thought you said I didn't have to worry about their Sacred Rods? Which is it?"

"No,  _you_  don't worry about it,  _I_  worry about it. If their reaction to you the first time around doesn't say something on what they think of you, then I don't know what will," he snorts.

"You mean their Scared Rods having them drop to the ground?"

"Yeah, that shit can hurt, but let's say that it came around because they … thought you were pretty."

Lucy pauses confused, saying she doesn't really understand, thinking that they dropped because they were mad.

"Doesn't matter," Natsu says. "I'll make sure to kick their asses if they do anything to make you scared."

Her eyebrows furrow. "This doesn't sound right. You should absolutely trust your village mates. They've been with you all your life, unlike me."

He gives one hard chuckle, bringing an arm up to wrap around her shoulders and hugging her close to his side. "True, I guess it does seem stupid when you say it out loud but I like being around you. The guys will understand."

Lucy's hand quickly comes up to press over her heart. She takes a deep breath to settle the uneven heart beat Natsu can hear. "I … I like being with you, too."

Having his arm around her shoulders is such a natural thing for him to do, no thought put into interacting with Lucy when it feels as if they've known each other longer then they actually have. That's why it's strange when his arm suddenly feels ten times heavier resting against her and his heart rapidly tries to break free of its confinement within his chest, matching hers. He almost wants to jerk his arm away from her but snorts quietly to himself at the thought. Why the hell should he do that?

Natsu takes note of the blush that graces Lucy's face and the way her eyes turn down from him, a reaction she has whenever she gets bashful. He doesn't like her doing that a lot of the time, rather wanting to look someone directly in the eye to understand their intentions better. He lets Lucy get away with it often though because he's soft on her.

"Hey, don't freak out. I want to try somethin'," Natsu says. He licks his bottom lip, ignoring the way his stomach tickles and tries to keep his uncertainties hidden from Lucy.

Her eyes widen slightly and there's confusion to her frown. "Oh, sure. What is it?"

With baited breath, Natsu swiftly ducks his head and grazes his lips against Lucy's. He can barley feel her softness against his mouth, a gentleness that could rival a falling snow flake, but her heat is unmistakably against his lips. This close to her, with his nose brushing up against her cheek, her scent is overwhelmingly strong.

Natsu comes to the conclusion that an action like this is meant to show a specific type of fondness for someone else, willing to trust that those teeth coming near won't harm you but rather give comfort. To speak not with the voice but with the body, expressing more in this one instance of pressure than any words can form. Thinking of it that way, what those foxes did was more than initiating kinship, not when they share their entire lives, their entire existences, with one another. It makes sense to think of it like that with Lucy. Natsu doesn't share his life with anyone else like he does with her.

He was expecting a large sense of relief to rush through him by having Lucy under his mouth, claiming her lips and stealing her breath this time on purpose. He expected his gut to feel like it did before, punched to the point of breathlessness, his limbs to course with the need stiffen up like he's done before under her gentle radiance. What he finds instead is a pleasant surprise. While it doesn't emotionally feel as if much is happening, there is a slight current of electricity happening between their lips, a buzzing wave that Natsu sense could potentially get stronger as time goes on. He's happy with that, as doing this kind of gesture is strange to act out, something he, or rather  _they_ , need to get used to.

Slowly backing away, Natsu tries to remind himself to breathe as he waits for Lucy to react. She might not understand what he did—like that first accidental encounter—and he wants to reassure her that what happened is okay.

He thinks he might have broken her though. Lucy's eyes are wider than he's ever seen before, enough that he finds his own refection of confusion in their earthy brown color. Her entire body has gone stiff under his arm.

"Um, hello?" he says unsure.

His voice pierces her stone like stiffness and she twitches, gaining height in her voice. "Yes, I'm here!"

Her reaction makes him snicker. "Thanks," Natsu shrugs easily.

"W-what for?"

"For nothin' in particular. Just thanks. Talking with Mas Ter today has made me realize how much I like having you around."

"Um, you're welcome … What we did ... it was nice. What exactly was it?"

"This thing females and males do. Or people that have a bond like we do. Eh, I can't really explain it, I just wanted to do it."

"Sounds right for you."

"Hey, what should we call it?"

"I-I don't know." Lucy quickly ducks her head, bangs shielding her eyes and promptly showing off that blush that dominates her creamy complexion. "There's a word I've heard before. Something like cyshion … no, its cy-cyssan, that's it. It means 'to touch with the lips'. That sounds right. I don't remember what language it's from, unfortunately."

His eyebrows furrow. "What was it? Kissin?"

"No, cyssan."

"It still sounds like your saying kissin. Kissing? Kiss?"

She laughs lightly at his silliness and brings those bright eyes back up to him. "Kiss sounds easier to say. I can go with that."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Authors Notes:
> 
> I had a lot of trouble writing this chapter. At first, Natsu was written to be possessive / protective of Lucy and refusing to let Gray get near her. There was also the aspect of Natsu's affections for Lucy. That was the biggest struggle. I don't think Natsu would put as much thought into what he's doing compared to Lucy, but I don't also think he would love her instantly after only knowing her for a few weeks. He's aware their bond is strong but not to the point of seeing Lucy as a potential life partner, a concept he doesn't understand yet.
> 
> It wasn't until I re-read a few chapters of Fairy Tail that I realized how to write this chapter.
> 
> Natsu would NEVER dictate Lucy's life. He would never keep her away from others. He would never tell her who she can and can't meet. His main concern is seeing her happy, and having friends—something he always puts on a high pedestal—would make her happy, resulting in his happiness.
> 
> After thinking all of that through, I re-wrote 70% of the chapter and now I'm happy with it.
> 
> Otherwise, the conversation with Mas Ter gives some explanations that needed to be addressed. I can't explain everything, because a story like this can be hard to explain. It's basically a fantasy that I'm trying to get as accurate as I can.
> 
> Also, during the Stone Age farming was a thing. It came about more towards the very end of the Stone Age, so that's where I'm setting this story.
> 
> Please, leave a review! They're always appreciated! I'll update again when I can! Thank you everyone!


	4. Not So Sleep-Pea

Lucy frustratingly shifts to lie on her left side, turning away from Natsu and coming around to face Happy. In the time she's spent at the Male Tribe, they've come to a silent agreement on the sleeping order within the nest. From left to right, it always goes Natsu, Lucy, and then Happy.

Having gone from lying on her back, to smashing her face into the pelts while on her stomach, all the way around to spreading her limbs wide, no position has set Lucy contently into sleep. Her skin is crawling, an itch that can never be scratched, as restlessness keeps her awake. Normally she's an easy sleeper but every once in a while since coming to live with Natsu, she finds herself agonizingly awake in the middle of the night.

It comes on suddenly when all is quiet and there are no distractions, allowing her mind to wonder into the darker parts of her heart. It's a place she doesn't like to linger in, always trying to remain on the optimistic side of things, but it's hard to ignore the throbbing pain in her chest. It's a dull sadness from having her life changed drastically, her soul begging to see her family again. While out of sight in the daylight thanks to Natsu and Happy's ever-cheerful attitudes, this sadness lets itself be fully known in the darkness when Lucy can't help but be a little more vulnerable.

Technically, these horrible feelings are all Natsu's fault, since he's the one that took her regular life away. Yet Lucy can't bring herself to truly blame him. He doesn't have a clue of what he's emotionally done to her—in more ways than one. How can she blame this boy when he has the morality of a gentle puppy? He truly believes that he took her away in order to protect her, only thinking of her well-being.

While true that Natsu's saddened Lucy, he's also opened her mind to new wonders. Until meeting Natsu, she hasn't laughed this much in all her life. He's such a goof-ball, playful and … well, let's just say naïve but with good intentions. She has a different sense of companionship being with him, one she finds uniquely endearing to the point of it almost being addictive. Around the other females in her tribe—knowledgeable Levy, caring Juvia and gentle Wendy immediately coming to mind—Lucy could laugh, smile and bond with her fellow females all the same. But there's something about Natsu that's different, compelling a new type of bonding experience to happen that she's never had with another person before. With each interaction they have, red strings of fate weave them closer together.

It's because of these crazy-mixed emotions that Lucy's not sure what to do. She definitely plans to escape still once her curiosity for the male body is satisfied—she can't have this aching in her heart go on forever—but the more she gets to know Natsu, the worse this fluttering in her heart becomes. She hasn't decided if that's good or bad. Should she escape while she can before she becomes willingly ensnared in this boys grasp?

Ever since Natsu and her accidentally brush lips while hiding in that oak tree, Lucy has become sensitive to him on a new level. That sensitivity only increased tenfold once Natsu initiated their first, real kiss. There's a need to be at his side whenever she can, to watch him go about his day and listen to the gravel tone of his voice that she didn't realize was there before. She delicately watches him with a new view to her eyes, the smallest detail in the way his body works quickly capturing her attention—back muscles stretching in the late summer light, calloused hands and their tight grips, the soft curve of his neck. Each of these once unnoticeable things makes her heart pound breathlessly, one-part shyness and another part eagerness overwhelming her.

Lucy didn't realize right away how beautiful Natsu really is, as it took having his mouth shoved up against hers to acknowledge this. She almost wishes she hadn't. Lucy's heard of being twitterpated, finding infatuation in the spring when new life is created, but spring is long past and the summer flowers are in full bloom, so what could this newfound attraction for Natsu be about? She's acknowledged that a lot of the women in her tribe are pretty, highly beautiful even, but Natsu she finds more than attractive …

Her emotions flip-flopping back and forth between homesickness and finding this male charming makes Lucy want to scream. She groans quietly and pulls a pelt over her head as if shielding the world from her stupidity. She shouldn't be seeing the guy that took her captive as something pretty!

"Can't sleep?"

Natsu's quiet voice makes Lucy twitch, both from his voice coming from out of nowhere in the darkness and because it's  _him_. The culprit of all these insane thoughts is right behind her. She should have known he was awake when the sound of his light snoring cut out.

She talks muffled into the pelts. "I-I can't get conformable." The animal hides shift behind her, pulling the furs a little, but she refuses to give ground on them. She likes having them surround her to act as a security blanket.

"That explains the squirmin'. I thought a snake made its way in," he comments.

"If a snake had made its way in, you'd know because I'd scream."

"Ah, don't be such a wimp. Snakes don't harm ya unless you harm it first."

"Ever come across a snake with a hook on its nose? Those things are always mean no matter what you do towards them. There was one in particular that made a nest towards the edge of my … old tribe. We called it Pissy."

He coughs a laugh. "That's the best!"

Happy grumbles in his sleep, rolling over to bury his face into the furs and tucking his pointed ears downward as if he can block out their noise.

"Shhh, don't wake him up," Lucy hushes.

Natsu doesn't heed her warning, never having been one to control the volume of his voice. "Hey, you think it's weird for me to have one Sacred Rod but snakes have two."

That sudden revelation is enough to have her turn to look over her shoulder at him. "They  _what_?" she asks incredulously.

"They fork at the tip, straight in two." The way he talks is almost smug, perhaps a universal feeling among those that have Scared Rods. "I saw it when a snake was with another snake last summer out in the rocky areas. I think maybe he was fighting for dominance, considering his Scared Rod was out."

"That's both amazing and disturbing."

"You know, normally when I can't sleep, I don't bother lying down. We could go for a walk if you feel like moving."

She turns back around and shakes her head. "No, that's not wise. I don't want to be outside having to look over my shoulders for creatures on the hunt for me."

He scoffs. "Come on, like anything would be tough enough to try and eat us. There's no way I'd let anything harm you."

She squeezes her eyes tightly and tries to bundle up in the pelts more. "If you want to go for a walk that badly then go."

"It wouldn't be the same if you weren't there freaking out about the shadows moving in the darkness."

"Are you concerned with my well-being or using me for a laugh?" she asks dull.

"Both." Lucy senses how Natsu leans up on an elbow, looking down at her and getting a little closer. "Is it that you don't feel good?" he asks concerned.

"... I don't know," she admits in a whisper.

He goes quiet, that silence telling of his confusion and unease at her answer. "I've noticed you sometimes don't sleep well. You get restless. Do you have bad dreams?"

"No, I normally don't have bad dreams. I only have a lot on my mind, about me and other stuff."

"I've been told that it's not good to keep stuffy things like that to yourself. Although I hate talking about crap like that myself, you don't mind talking, so go on ahead."

"You have such a wise way with words …" She sighs. "I … I think I can tell you about certain things, anyway. On one condition," she interjects quickly. "I want you to turn around and lie on your back. Keep your eyes straight ahead."

"Huh? Oh, Alright …"

Natsu does as asked and when the shifting of the pelts goes quiet on his end, Lucy tentatively looks over her shoulder. His eyes lock onto the ceiling, arms bent up and cradling the back of his head in his palms. If it wasn't for the moonlight streaming in through the edges of the buffalo hide doorway, she wouldn't be able to see him. As it is, his outline shines softly, defining the lines of his body and turning everything under that soft edge of light into a dark silhouette. The one thing that stands out is his strawberry pink hair, the most out of place thing on Natsu. To this day, Lucy still doesn't understand why it's that color. She's seen green on other females—Bisca comes to mind—but why pink for him?

Lucy takes a deep breath to gather her wits, creating a simple mistake in doing so. Taking in that breath reminds her of how much she's surrounded by Natsu; the pelts smell like him, every inch of the house contains aspects of him and it doesn't help that his flesh and blood lays beside her, radiating warmth that she can feel under the nest. She lies on her back like he does, trying to keep on equal terms with him despite this churning in her belly making her want to turn away. She keeps her hands under the pelts, folded against her stomach.

"Alright, out with it. Why are you acting weirder then normal?" Natsu asks.

She sighs disappointed. "That's not the proper way to ask me something. Also, quit calling me weird." She shifts her shoulders, hoping to release some of the tension in them, but nothing changes. "I was thinking about how my family is. I've never been away from them for this long and it's … a little hard for me."

She waits for him to say something but he never does.

"I'm sure that Wendy is overcome with worry for me. That little girl is always concerned about something," she chuckles a little, remembering fondly of the youngest female of her tribe. "I can't imagine how out-right mad you've made Erza. That girl is going to skin your hide the next time she sees you."

Natsu snorts harsh and the edge in his voice says he's up for the challenge. "Let's see her try. I'll beat her to pulp if she tried to dare fight me."

"Don't underestimate her. Erza has taken down monsters the size of houses."

"So have I."

"Ever fend off 100 monsters at once?"

He grimaces. "No—but I could if I wanted to. I'm telling you, I'm way stronger than this Erza girl."

"Either way, don't fight Erza the next time she comes around. I imagine between the two of you it'd be an outright battle to the death."

"She'd deserve it if she came back. I told her and everyone else you belong here now."

Lucy can't bring herself to comment on that. What firstly goes through her mind is how their wrath was brought down because Natsu kidnapped her. He deserves every vengeful attempt thrown at him. Second thing that comes to mind is how she can't dare say those awful things out loud to this kind boy who doesn't know any better.

"I've also been thinking about you," she admits gently.

"Me? What about me?" he asks, turning his head towards her curiously.

His stare burns holes through her skin but she concentrates on the ceiling, trying to see into those pitch-black shadows for spirits wondering in the dark. "Nothing much. Mostly how nice you are."

"Duh, I could have told you of my greatness from the start."

"Oh-so humble, too. Really though, I'm … thankful. Considering all that's happened, I'm glad you've been kind to me."

"That's what families do; they rely on one another and are kind for it."

"Do you really think that? About me being in your family, I mean."

"Yup. I said I'd take care of you and I always keep my promises. Igneel told me kindness begets kindness. That it's better to make friends then enemies. Though I love giving a good ass-kicking, nothing beats having a family, you know?" Lucy can hear Natsu's beliefs in that gleeful tone of his, truly taking to heart that she means more to him then she's realized. The flutter in her chest starts back up for a moment.

"Who's Igneel?" Lucy asks.

"Ah, that's my dad. He's a dragon."

Why is everything he's saying tonight trying to give her a heart attack?

"A dragon?!" she says amazed.

"Yeah. The King of Fire Dragons he's known for being. But he left a couple years back and I haven't heard a word from him. That idiot could have visited or something ... I know he's out there and I'll find him again one day."

"He sounds like a kind dragon."

"He is. Most dragons hate humans but Igneel believes we can live in harmony." Natsu eyes her with a slight frown. "Most people don't believe me when I tell them I was raised by a dragon."

"I believe you because of Wendy, a girl from my tribe. She was raised by a dragon, too."

He lifts his head a little in surprise and asks if that's really true.

"Yup. I was told it was a female dragon that could control wind. She was white as snow and downy feathered."

"So, there are female dragons, too," he mumbles.

"Is Igneel why you have an affinity for Igny?"

"Yeah," he smirks. "Igneel taught me a few things when I was a whelp."

"I take it that's why your body is always hotter than normal, too. Not once since I've been here have you felt the need to light an Igny in the pit during the night."

"Oh, sorry, I didn't think that bothered you."

"It doesn't. You give out enough heat in the nest to make me feel warm. Although I imagine in the dead heat of summer it's going to be like sleeping next to Hades. As of now, with nights getting colder, it's nice."

Happy's voice growls out of nowhere. "It would also be nice if you two could be quiet."

"Oh, I'm sorry," Lucy whispers in guilt.

"Ah, sorry, bud. Didn't mean to keep you awake," Natsu says.

Happy sighs harshly and begrudgingly sits up. He whines in complaint that they  _did_  mean to wake him up and they're  _jerks_  for it.

She gently massages his soft cheeks in each hand, playing tenderly with his fur and whiskers. She can't help but wonder if he thinks this is all a dream due to how tired he is. "We'll go back to sleep, alright? No more talking," she says quiet.

He nods groggily and plops back into the nest. "Goodnight then."

Lucy waits a couple of seconds for Happy to settle in before whispering. "It's hard to adjust having another person live with you."

"He's going to have to get used to it if you don't sleep the same as us," Natsu snorts, having no sympathy for the little feline.

She watches Happy curl into a ball with his back to her, ears tucking down and tail curling around his body under the pelts. When he does that, he looks like a blue pea. Suddenly, Lucy wants to cackle really loud at the sight. She thinks she must be really tired to find this funny, perhaps some of the stress over the past weeks has gotten to her.

Lucy tries to contain her laughter. "Hey, Natsu. What do you call a tired pea?"

His lips tighten as he thinks of an answer but gives up and asks her what that could be.

"Sleep-pea."

It's a really lame joke. So bad that it makes her physically want to cringe away from its awfulness.

They both end up choking on their laughter.

"Alright, that's it!" Happy hisses.

He jerks the pelts away from him in a showy flash, bringing out his claws and grinding his teeth in a threatening manner, those sleep deprived, red eyes of Happy's telling all—that he's not messing around. Natsu and Lucy get chased out by the angry cat into the quiet, cold night, shrinking away from his loud hissing and animalistic growls. Natsu tumbles out of the house with a elk pelt in hand, having snatched it before Happy could get to him. Happy lightly swipes at Lucy's legs as she's rushed outside, although she knows that Happy would never actually hurt her, she mainly backs away because of the way he's acting, having never seen him get this mad before.

"Stay out here and talk!" he demands, jabbing a claw at the ground. He snaps the buffalo hide aside and enters the hut to go angrily back to sleep.

Natsu scratches his cheek, standing in the darkness wearing only a pelt wrapping around his waist and holding the fur he snatched. "Geez, he didn't need to go that far."

"I guess anyone would be mad if they were unexpectedly woken up," Lucy says, irritated at being thrown out of her sleeping space.

She rubs her upper arms to generate some warmth and looks to the hidden quarter moon high above. While her breath doesn't puff in white clouds before her, wearing simple animal hides that cover her chest and waist, enough to keep her from being naked under the nest but allowing Natsu's usual heat to not suffocate her during her sleep, these garbs turn the late-ending summer coldness into a teeth chattering predicament.

That chill doesn't last long. A heavy weight settles on her shoulders and warmth encases her back. "Guess we'll have to go on that walk now," Natsu smiles, readjusting the elk vest he brought to fit her properly.

"Aren't you going to be cold?" Lucy asked concerned.

He raises an eyebrow and slaps a hand against his bare chest. "I told you, Igny is my specialty. It'll take more than this little chill to get to me."

"If you say so …"

The thought of a midnight walk isn't something she's looking forward to, not when there are unnerving shadows crawling up from the forest, clouds covering the sky and removing the view of her celestial friends. It makes Lucy uncertain about what could be lurking in the twisting silhouettes of the overhead tree branches. She remembers at a young age how she lost a fellow female to the predators that rule the night, and while Lucy and the female that lost her life that night weren't the closet, it was an experience she soon hasn't forgotten due to the trauma it created on such an impressionable mind.

Then again, if Natsu and her were to go on this walk and Lucy "accidentally" got separated from him in the darkness ... Could that could be her chance to escape back to her homeland?

The thought sends a wave of butterflies through Lucy's gut, making the fingers of her right hand clutch against her exposed stomach.

Has she gathered enough information on male life to return? Yes and no, Lucy thinks. There's much she's learned about the males thanks to her observations with Natsu but he doesn't represent that vast majority of the others males, limiting her knowledge. Yet what's more concerning is that she could gather all the information she wanted about male life and then suddenly find that she can't escape due to her growing attachment towards Natsu. Thoughts of him are already keeping her awake at night, confusion, attraction and so many other things about him daring her to explore knew territories within her heart.

She's never tried escaping at night, always feeling more secure in the open light of day, and the thought still isn't very pleasant, but the longer Lucy stays, the worse this attachment towards Natsu is going to become. She  _knows_  that. And if that happens, she's never going to have the will to leave again. At the very least, past her uncertainties and fluttering heart, she can admit that. Natsu is too charismatic for his own good and he's not aware of it in the slightest.

Would she be able to get away with escaping now of all times? Natsu's senses are different compared to a normal humans, and Lucy thought that all males were like that until she talked with Gray and realized that Natsu is honed under special circumstances. After hearing his upbringing, being raised by a dragon, it explains a couple of things about his body, how he seems more animal then human at times. Natsu's sense of smell is astonishing, his strength impressive and healing abilities the most surprising thing, as Lucy has seen him get clawed in the arm before by a wild monster before and had it heal in less then three days.

Most troubling is the way Natsu can conjure Igny. Would he be able to see her in the pitch darkness as she tried to hide among the foliage? Plus, after all this time of staying put, would a sudden escape attempt make him angry like he used to get? Would he tie her up and lock her down in his home until she was forced to admit defeat? She doesn't think Natsu would do any of that necessarily but imagining him angry towards her doesn't forebode well.

This darkness might be intimidating but if it's Lucy's only chance of escape before this madness willingly ensnares her forever, then she has to face it.

"Come on," Natsu says. "We'll walk a loop around the tribe and then sneak back in when Happy is fully asleep." He shows no worry for any harm that could come in the dark, always being one to take action first and think things over later, Lucy's noticed.

She's thankful at how thick the elk hide is, as it prevents from showing her quivering. "If you say so," she says nonchalantly.

The beginning of the walk is filled with Lucy jumping at every moving shadow. Squirrels wondering the night, a bird taking flight and a chipmunk scurrying across her feet make her scream. Natsu gets a kick out of every twitch she makes, calling her a chicken and saying she's funny. Having enough of him laughing at her, she steels her nerves and refuses to jump at the slightest thing, determined to show that she's no coward tonight, not on the last night they're together. Natsu talks for most of their way, always a chatter-box even in the dead of night when all is quiet. The sound of his baritone that chuckles with amusement clutches at her throat, tightening it down as if she wants to cry.

When the shadows become less menacing with the pathway they take opening up to the northern side of the village, showing farm fields that bask in the waxing moon, Lucy's growing resolve sets aside any unease she might of had for the surrounding land.

When the path takes them back into the tree line, she uses the vast shifting darkness of the moon and clouds to her advantage. She slows her walk pace-by-pace, trying not to make it obvious that she's falling behind, pretending to linger due to something that's caught her interest. Natsu walks on ahead as a large, black silhouette, showing no fear of the forest and continuing to talk about something that she's taken to droning out. When Lucy feels she's far enough out of reach from his hands, she quickly shifts her walk and directs her feet to take her into the forest without thought, veering off into a line of spruce trees.

She can't see what's under her feet, as anything below her ankle gets swallowed in a sea of darkness, but she tries to keep her steps light but swift. She keeps her eyes straight ahead and lets her body go through the motions of a fast walking pace that could turn into a sprint at any moment, afraid to run right away due to how loud the motion would be. She can only pray to the Gods that she doesn't step on something brittle, alerting Natsu to a quick hunt, because she wouldn't be able to hear it if she did. What pounds in her ears is the beating of her own heart, stuttering against her ribs and making her lose precious air.

I'm going to get to see my family again, Lucy thinks frantic. All of her female friends and her old way of life are so close in her grasp. All she has to do is abandon Natsu.

Lucy stumbles in her walk, tripping against a rock from the tips of her right toes scrapping against it. She would have fallen to the ground if not for the pine tree next to her, catching one of it's lower lying branches and knocking the breath out of her. She quickly stands back up straight, her body automatically prepared to start back up the motion it was going through before being interrupted, but she stops. Lucy grips the tree branch to the point sap begins to seep out of the marks her nails create, breath coming in short bursts that dry out her mouth. She finds herself unable to move. There's an awful hole being punched through her chest in a way that she's never felt before, a part of her about to be torn away and making it that much harder to think. A light sweat break out on the back of her neck while she desperately holds in place.

It doesn't take long for someone to grab her hand, making Lucy almost jump out of her own skin.

"This way, weirdo. You're going the wrong way," Natsu says light.

His tone of voice quickly tells that he didn't realize what she was trying to do, rather thinking that she really was accidentally wondering off the beaten path. Knowing that makes things that much worse for Lucy. Natsu's firm grip on her hand has instant warmth loosen her freezing fingers and a sharp wave of goosebumps run up her shaking arm. This time, it's neither from the cold nor anxiousness suddenly grasping her heart that she shivers.

That strong grip of Natsu's is going to make it impossible to get away ... but that's not disappointing, Lucy thinks.

Gods, what's happening?

"I won't let you get lost as long as you keep a hold of me. This way," he says, tugging her back towards the main trail.

"I'm sorry," she mutters sullen.

"You got lost, Lucy. Nothing to be sorry about."

But it still feels like there's so much to be sorry for.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> An entire chapter mostly revolving around the idea of an awful pun. 
> 
> Please, leave a chapter review or a kudo's! Every comment is very much appreciated!


	5. Seeing Through The Rain

Natsu and Lucy rush through the drenched forest, trying to find some balance in the slippery grass that threatens to trip their feet at any moment. The sound of heavy rain shrills in their ears, buzzing like bees in a hive of activity. In Lucy's arms, she keeps a tight hold on her woven basket filled with berries, some of the small fruits dropping to the ground from her urgency to get out of the rain and left behind to dew in the rain. The fruits wait to be chewed on by the animals that currently hide away, cowering from the rain in their homes.

Natsu tries to shield his eyes from the heavy rainfall with an arm poised above his head and blindly shoulders aside the buffalo hide to their home. They both stop at the front entrance soaked to the bone and shivering from the onset of cold that comes with these bleak, fluffy clouds that dominate the sky.

"It didn't seem like it was going to rain earlier," Lucy complains. Her body sags as if the rain has added an ample amount of weight to her, wet tendrils of hair tangled in its ponytail and sticking to her exposed skin that rises with goosebumps.

"I told you, I could smell it on the wind," Natsu says. He shakes his head to try and rid his hair of its sobbing mess, having water droplets fly, much to Lucy's annoyance.

"How would you know rain was coming on the wind?"

"I just can. It smells damp and the air feels heavy."

She impatiently sets her soggy basket on a wooden bench, beginning to organize the unharmed berries into different skin bags. Next to the bench, Natsu has placed an assortment of cut meats within a wooden box, keeping animal flesh cold in some ice that was provided by Gray. None-too easily either, since Natsu had to return a-pain-in-the-ass favor for the ice. Lucy was the one that made the suggestion to create an ice-box for the meat, a smart move on her part. Normally the meat inside the box would have rotten by now, having Natsu rush out for another hunt to keep starvation from setting in, but since he doesn't have to hunt as often anymore, he finds its ample time to catch up on other things.

Those dark purple berries Lucy puts away won't stay in ripe condition like that for long, separated from their mother stems. He's going to have to make some sort of wooden compartment to keep them fresh for longer periods of time, as Lucy likes going about things that way. She's also taken to tidying the rest of the house, and while things haven't been drastically moved, allowing Natsu to find items when need be, the organization of the space has some 'function' to it, as Lucy puts it. He doesn't mind his home being clean. In fact, it's kind of nice, and Lucy does have her say in how the space should work since she lives here, too.

"Where's Happy?" she asks, looking around the space but seeing no blue fur ball.

"I'm not sure. He was actin' kind of weird when he left this morning. I thought he'd be back by now," Natsu shrugs.

"The poor thing. I hope he found shelter somewhere."

"Eh, a little rain never hurt anyone. We needed this rain, anyway. The trees were starting to die quicker than normal. Also, it's been a while since I've had a bath. It was probably about time."

"You shouldn't have to wait for the rain to do such a thing …"

Without thought, Natsu removes his scarf and top fur pelt, both pieces wanting to stick to his skin desperately with their heavy, water weight. He better get an Igny going and prepare for a long, wet night.

Lucy fiddles with her fingers, light brown eyes standing out wide against her rain stained face. "Why are you taking your hides off?" she asks quiet.

The stupid question makes Natsu throw the pelt to the side, not caring for where it falls, which happens to be on top a pile of old bones. The scale scarf he takes more care of, as it's the only memento he has left from Igneel, and places it on a specially made shelf for the garment towards the back house wall.

His teeth chatter from the cold. "I'll never be able to warm up wearing that soaked stuff. It's better to be naked to get warm at times like this."

"Naked?" Lucy asks incredulous.

"Yes, naked. I think you should do the same. We'll get under the pelts afterword's and—"

A thought suddenly slaps Natsu in the face.

Naked to him means nothing. Naked for Lucy …

She pulls her arms in tight, rubbing her fingers together to try and generate some heat in the freezing digits. In doing so, she presses her chest closer together to form a deep cleavage line, flesh pressed against flesh in ways Natsu is used to seeing nowaday. Except during moments like this, something feels different about it—about her. The leopard skins covering her chest must be thinner than he initially thought, as her nipples rise from the cold and there's a slight quiver to those soft lumps from her shivering. Lines of water fall to the hollow between her breasts and follow other curves of her body, along the shoulders and her wide hips.

If Lucy were to take her leopard hide off, letting Natsu fully see those pink peeks and possibly get a vexing glance at what could be between her legs, what would that do to him? Would he back away in terror from seeing ... whatever she has? Or would he find that part of her as alluring as the rest of her? Then again, a Sacred Rod isn't something to be "allured" by, so the same concept probably applies to females. Natsu didn't get a chance see that part of Lucy despite pinning her down before when they first met, finding that having no Sacred Rod instantly scared the crap out of him and set his crotch aching as if it got hacked off. It's still freaky to think she doesn't have a Sacred Rod but his morbid curiosity gets to him a lot concerning that aspect of her.

In this moment, Natsu also sees the way Lucy's lips have turned shallow in color, going up like a fish's belly, her skin pale as snow and not like that of fresh eggs, an alarming color for survival. Those little shivers that send goosebumps waving across her body has worry and a bite of shame overcome him, noticing her body firstly and her health secondly. He sets aside his more primal nature to focus on her well-being. He can think about her body when they're both not at risk of freezing their balls off. Wait, Lucy doesn't have balls. So, what'd she freeze off—her tits?

"You should really do it. You'll get sick otherwise and I don't want that to happen to you," Natsu says.

"I … no, there's no way I can," she dismisses.

He unties the sash that keeps his lower wrapping on. "Come on, what's the big deal?"

"The big deal is that you're not like me. It's one thing to be naked in front of another female but with you … I don't know. There's something about it that doesn't seem so easy about it."

"Look, I get that, sort of, but it shouldn't matter at a time like this when you could freeze to death. Besides, I already saw you naked once before. Nothing's changed since then, right?"

Her lower lip juts out in a pout. "That's because you pushed me to the ground."

Lucy's stubbornness is going to be the death of her, Natsu thinks. He knows for a fact that it's better to get out of those sobbing animal hides and if she's going to be weird about it, he's going to have to get creative. If he tried to force her to get naked that would amount to a quick end of his life. She's small but, damn, does she got one powerful kick, evident by the way she pushed him out of the nest once before due to accidentally kneeing her in the crotch in his sleep. While she said that getting hit there didn't hurt—something he  _truly_  envies—she did say that it was an invasion of her personal space, a concept he doesn't get.

Showing no shame despite what Lucy said, not understanding her reasoning's and therefore giving no heed to them, Natsu drops his pelt wrap from his waist and tosses it aside. He ignores the choked squeak that comes from Lucy's throat tightening down, finding her behavior odder then normal. Who cares if he's naked? Natsu's been nude before in front of the other males and none of them freaked out like Lucy. Sure, her body might be different then his but there's no shame in that fact. Maybe this is a female thing. More importantly this is survival. Lucy's smart, she has to understand this.

With a high groan of frustration, Lucy turns her back on him and looks to the ground.

Sitting on the floor, Natsu takes off his fur leggings and woven sandals. "There's nothing wrong about this," he reassures. The freezing air has made his Sacred Rod cower back and the rest of his muscles bunch up against the shivers that threaten to rock his body.

She sounds as if she's going to say something, struggling for words that come out as little groans and stutters, but it all dies on her tongue.

Natsu grabs from his stock pile of wood a few dry logs, putting them in the Igny pit and shoving aside old ash to crater the hole a little more. "Seriously, if you want, I'll hold up a pelt while you take your stuff off. I won't see a thing."

Lucy sighs heavy at a loss for words, apparently none-too pleased with the idea.

He's about to do his usual routine of starting an Igny, gathering tinder and flint to spark the flames, but once Natsu sees his hand near the wood and ash, he pauses. Flickering at the tip of his index finger is a small spark of Igny, the action of conjuring this flame done as naturally as a bird taking flight, but that little flame no longer seems as impressive as it used to be. The reason being because Natsu believes that his Igny could be much more then that now. Since meeting Lucy, the spark inside of him as intensified, his magic towards Igny much easier to conjure then before and he can't help but have his confidence become overwhelming, knowing he definitely can call upon Igny better then what he's doing currently.

Natsu puts out the small flame with a flick of his wrist and takes to making a fist, holding it up front of his face and concentrating as hard as he can on the entire thing. He imagines a whispering flame that lights a brilliant orange at the edges and burns to a bright white in the center engulfing the whole of his hand. He can imagine the smoke of it wafting up and he can smell the burn of Igny, it just needs to become real ... A nerve in Natsu's forehead stands out with his intense focus, staring daggers at his finger, and his vision becomes unfocused the longer he stares his finger down.

It actually startles Natsu when he's able to do it.

That Igny that wavers all around his fist makes Natsu shout in victory, turning to show his enthusiasm to Lucy. She might not want to see his naked body but his gift is obviously too intriguing to ignore for someone like her, looking over her shoulder and splaying her fingers over her eyes to see past them. The lift of her eyebrows shows how impressed she is at his magic, a glimmer of interest showing in her eyes. Seeing her reaction makes pride glow in Natsu's chest, along with a smidgen of arrogance mixed within it. He gets the wood burning faster than he's ever been able to do before, the warmth of his growing power sending a wave of delight through him. He can't help but think that with this, he'll be able to beat Gray in a fight without working up a sweat any longer! Natsu's going to need more training however, as he can already feel his magic being drained away inside of him, an intense need for more Igny making him want to drool.

"Come over by the Igny, Lucy. I finally got the hang of my magic," Natsu says happily. He keeps his hand up, showing off the large flame lingering there as if it's a massive explosion waiting to happen, getting him giddy at the thought.

Disappointing, her astonishment at his gift is not enough to keep her embarrassment at bay. She quickly turns her back on him. "I can feel it from where I am," she mutters.

Natsu tries to contain a gruff snicker when she backs up nonchalantly closer to the Igny. He quickly takes a charred snack from the Igny pit where a small chunk of flame burns bright against the wood, chewing quickly and loving the taste of a satisfying Igny. He would gain more power if the growing Igny wasn't a extension of his own magic, as he can't eat the flames directly made from his own body, but he can eat the flames that get scattered about from any original chunk of Igny he makes. It would taste a lot better if it was flame created with oak wood, flint being the worst when it tastes like the smell of a rooting corpse. The maple he eats now doesn't taste like much, but food is food.

"Is it that you have a weird mark on your body or somethin'?" Natsu asks, throwing another chunk of Igny into his mouth.

"What? No," Lucy says quickly.

He abides by what he said to get her going, not wanting her to stand there in those wet animal hides for much longer now that her shivering has become more prominent. He goes to the nest and picks out the cougar pelt to hold up as a curtain to hide her modesty behind. Wherever he goes, she turns her back on him to keep her eyes from accidentally seeing something she doesn't want to see. Oh, come on, it's not like he's ugly to look at … hopefully.

"I keep tellin' you, I don't want you to get sick. If you keep acting like this long into the winter that's going to be a problem," Natsu sighs, pelt bundled in his arms.

"I get that but, it's—I don't know. Your … Sacred Rod, it's not going to attack now that it's out in the open, is it?" she asks weary.

" _Huh_? No, it doesn't work like that. The cold makes it go away; it's the warmth that keeps it around. Either way, there's nothing to be afraid about it."

"It chased away my entire tribe. I think I have the right to be somewhat worried about it."

Natsu's eyes roll but can't hold back a smirk due to her imagination. "I don't get what happened at the time but I don't think it'll do that again. Not unless I touch your chest like last time."

"Please, don't do that," she says dull.

"I don't know …" he says slowly. "I am confused about that. My Sacred Rod has never been that mad before until I grabbed you. It damn well hurt, if ya gotta know. Do you have some sort of magical power that made it do that?"

Lucy says that she has nothing but her ability to talk to the stars.

"Wait, talk to stars? That sounds weird. But, then again, you are—"

"I swear on all that is holy, if you call me weird one more time, I will end your life," she hisses.

"Maybe this thing that lets you talk to the stars is what did my Sacred Rod in."

"Don't go dragging my spirits into something like that." Lucy groans loudly. "Okay, okay, I'll change, but let me get under the nest and then I'll explain some … things about myself."

Natsu silently agrees to her terms and spreads the cougar pelt out in front of him, creating a curtain for her to hide behind. She eyes him momentarily before throwing aside her leopard skins in quick fashion, tossing them into the corner of the room with a wet plopping sound. Signaling to have the pelt follow her, Lucy holds the top of the fur with one hand as she directs it around to the nest, her other hand crossed over her chest that Natsu can't see past the cougar hide. She flies under all of the pelts at the nest, burrowing entirely under it for a moment before her head pops out like a gopher, snug and tightly concealed.

Natsu follows after Lucy, needing that same warmth to liven his stiff limbs. He wiggles his way under the pelts, working into a position that they can both agree upon.

"Don't get too close," she says.

"It's not as if I'm going to eat you or something …"

Being smothered under the same layer of pelts, Natsu can feel her naked body inches away from him, making every single hair on his body rise. Her scent has been intensified by the rain, smelling of autumn wheat basking in the sunlight and the gentle breeze that rustles the lavender fields next to it. After sharing his nest with Lucy for many nights and days over the summer, her scent lingers in the heat of the furs, mixing with his scent in a satisfying way. Being this close to Lucy helps him calm down, her scent loosening muscles and relaxing the eyes. He's happy to know that at least she'll be safe and warm now.

"So, what's this power of yours really about, talking to the stars, that is?" Natsu asks.

They face one another lying on their sides, limbs bunched up to keep from accidentally touching one another. Natsu knows they would both warm up quicker if they shared body heat but if Lucy wants to keep her distance, he'll let her. He might find her attractive but that doesn't mean he's going to act on this intensity swirling in his gut if she doesn't want to get near him. The other males can make fun of him all he wants when it comes to his dragon instincts but he's not some moron like they think he is. Lucy's well-being should always come first, no matter if his instincts might be screaming at him to get closer to her.

He also holds back because of the possibility of rejection.

It's plain to see that they're fond of one another, having a devoted and caring need in their growing partnership, but is Lucy attracted to him? Coming to see how smart and gentle she is has also made Natsu realize how out-classed he is by her. She seems to be like a delicate piece of cotton next to his thicket of thorns. They're foreboding thoughts that honestly make him a little sad. The one thing that reassures him though is that if Lucy wants to stick by his side, he must be worthy of her in some way.

"My power is as I say it is," Lucy says, a harsh blush creeping along her cheeks. There's a slight pout to her lower lip that makes Natsu want to laugh. "The constellations and I have always been friends. I can speak with them and they in return. They guide me in life."

"How do stars talk?" Natsu questions.

"With their voices."

"You know what I mean," he frowns unamused. "Is it only you that can hear them?"

"Yes. And if I'm lucky enough, they can effect the land in order to protect me. Take one time when I was young and I fell into a heavy flowing river. Aquarius, one of the star constellations, rescued me by calming the waters and pushing me ashore with the tide. She has power over the element of water."

"You have guardians," he smiles.

"Yes, I'm very grateful for them. I know that you have been blessed to control Igny but are there any other males here blessed with such magical powers?"

Natsu bits his lip but can't think of anything like she's describing. Telling her no, the closest thing to holy power is perhaps what Gray can do, being able to make ice spears in the dead heat of summer. Then there's Gajeel who has the best of luck in finding Metalicana. "What does that matter though?" Natsu asks. "As long as you can fight for yourself, divine power ain't needed."

Lucy's smirk is almost smug. "You can't say that when your tribe was almost beaten back by the females. Many of us have been bestowed with magic."

"I don't think that blessing of yours could help if you got attacked by a mountain lion."

"You never know."

"Okay, I get that part of you, but I need you to explain some other stuff to me since you're skittish about showing your body. If there's no Sacred Rod down there for you then what's there? Is there a reason you won't show me?"

Lucy's voice becomes quiet with her shyness and she lightly smothers the side of her face into the pelts. "I suppose … if your Sacred Rod is considered something of power in your tribe, then for us females … it would be … our Blessed Passage. It has been passed down for generations in my tribe what it means to be female. The tribe leader, Grand Dini, tells us that spirits, Gods and other beings can enter us through our Blessed Passage and give us divine power."

"I've never heard of such a thing," Natsu says skeptical.

"Be whatever it is to males, it's something I abide by. You'll eventually see the wrath of unholy spirits be shed from within my body. Although I haven't had it happen yet from the stress most likely …"

"What the hell does that mean?"

"It means that females have more magic in them then males do, it seems."

"Hold on a second," he says blatantly. "By Blessed Passage what does that mean? Is it a cave? I want to see it."

"No!" Lucy jumps. She shifts under the pelts to curl farther into a ball.

"It can't be that bad."

"It's not bad but… holy. I can't show it to you for just any reason."

"Ah, then that must be why you're afraid about being naked. What reason do you need to show it?"

"Nothing. I don't know how it works for you males but we females don't go showing our Blessed Passage to anyone out of nowhere."

"Most guys don't give a shit if a Sacred Rod is shown."

"Then it must not be that sacred in the first place," she snaps.

Natsu's shoulders pull forward in a hackle. "We don't care because hiding a Sacred Rod would be considered shameful. It's our honor—you'd rather we cover up and cower away like shrews?"

He'd like to say more to her but it's hard to form the right words. How do you explain something that's part of your integrity to someone who's never had a Sacred Rod in the first place? He can't imagine his life without one, which is why it's so scary to know that Lucy doesn't have a Sacred Rod but rather a Blessed Passage, as she puts it. Whatever she has can't compare to the pride of a Sacred Rod, divine powers or not.

Having Lucy say such a thing, to say that Natsu's pride means nothing, hurts. He's had insults thrown at him before by other males before—the usual spewing of how his Sacred Rod can't match up to someone else's, trying to diminish him as a person—but when Lucy says something insulting about it, that really stings. That's only because Natsu wants to matter to her though.

"I'll show you its power if you'd let me touch your chest again," Natsu says, moving his arms under the pelts as if ready to do such.

"I don't want to know about its powers! Not until I know it's truly safe. If you scared away Erza it's a sight to behold," Lucy says irritated.

"You're never going to know if it's dangerous or not if you don't let it rise firstly."

"Rise how? I know something stuck up between your legs but I didn't see it."

"It kind of does that." He lifts the furs as an invitation. "Here—take a look."

She cozies her face into the pelts. "No, thank you! I mean, I want to figure you out … but not now. Some other time."

"You sure are confusing," he mutters, lowering the pelts. "Don't you trust me?" he asks with a fake tint of sadness.

"... I do. You've been good to me. I think I'm only tired," she says half-hearted.

"If you want to see its power, you're going to have to let me touch you at some point, otherwise it's gonna have a hard time waking up."

They go on for some time, bantering about getting near each other's bodies. Natsu doesn't think he'll ever understand Lucy's reasoning's, but he respects her boundaries enough not to push his luck. He supposes it's not a matter of distrusting him but rather something meant for the heart to decide.

The sound of the rain steadily thrumming above the hut and the cracking of the Igny lulls them to sleep.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> A shorter chapter than usual but I didn't want to drag it out nor leave you guys waiting for another chapter in the long run.
> 
> Thank you for all the kudo's and reviews. Please do so for this chapter as well and tell me how it's going!


	6. Poppies and Gold

"She's way too small!"

"What's up with the way her voice sounds?"

"She doesn't look like much of a fighter."

Speculations and questions circle Lucy on all sides to an almost jarring effect. She doesn't know where to look, who to speak to firstly and how to answer all of their questions. Her palms sweat slightly but there's no ringing in her head begging to run, which would be impossible since she's surrounded by a hoard of curious males.

She's finally made her first trip into the Male Tribe on a day when the lazy summer sun calms the body and reasons with the mind. The moment a male by the name of Droy saw her and Natsu on their way towards the Tribe, shouting ensued. 'The female has come around!', one of them announced. Lucy didn't realize how excited the males were to meet her again after all this time. She supposes that she did avoid the tribe longer then necessary, heightening their anxiousness in seeing this mysterious creature known as "female" once again.

With Natsu by her side at the center of the crowd, she's felt secure enough not to demand for anyone to back away. Natsu seems to enjoy watching her struggle with his fellow male friends but he's also making sure she's not too uncomfortable. He'll give simple gestures of reassurance, a pat on the arm or a quiet look silently asking if she's okay, things that most people don't take notice of but speak volumes to Lucy. His content nature during a momentous occasion such as this sparks his magic, overcoming the hot, suffocating air that was once formed by the crowd and turning it into something soothing at the right level of warmth. It unconsciously attract some of the other guys, as they flock towards Natsu to start conversations without much need for talk.

Happy is the one that Lucy thinks is acting a little over-protective, hovering above the crowd like a vulture on the hunt for the weak. While Natsu might not see some of his friends' actions as invasive, Happy can tell otherwise and knows when to speak up. He'll make little insult comments every once in a while, his trademark mouth helping to steer some of the males' attention elsewhere.

So far though, most of the males have been polite and have given cautious greetings. Some apologized for treating Lucy like a piece of meat when she was first seen. Others ran their fingers through her side ponytail, commenting that the particular shade of gold in her hair was strange but pretty. One male named Macao did push her limits though, rubbing a hand over her rear and earning him a quick slap that everyone laughed at.

The strangest of the males were the ones that dropped upon seeing Lucy, almost shocking her, as she forgot the torment they went through upon first seeing her. Most automatically had the same reaction—putting their hands over their crotches, holding their breaths and letting their faces get red to the point of popping. Even males Lucy wasn't expecting to succumb to such behavior fell to their knees; all of them cursing under their breaths and quivering. She wasn't sure if they were mad, in pain, or anything above. Thankfully none of them were resentful towards her for their unsightly fallings, reassured by a bout of laughter from Natsu. He found their weakness funny, saying that their Sacred Rods were pissed off at her presence and weren't allowing them to get near her. That made things even more confusing for her but she decided it was best to let that go for now and focus on the more reasonable males that didn't succumb to their crotches.

Currently, what's more troubling for Lucy are the couple of males that have refused to approach her, hiding beyond the crowd and eyeing her suspiciously from a distance. Once holding the title of Brave before being taken by Natsu, a dark-blond named Laxus is one of those males that shows her an attitude of mild contempt. It's slightly frightening to see that a male twice Lucy's size, with muscles that could snap her neck, a scar running over his right eye and a stern lock on his facial features, is able to silently hunt her with his eyes alone. Two other males tag along with Laxus, refusing to leave his side like they're his lackey's. That's okay with Lucy though, because while they might not look as threatening compared to Laxus, they give off a strange sense of intensity and foreignness, especially the male that refuses to keep his tongue in his mouth. The other male, Freed she was told, reminds her somewhat of Bisca from her tribe, mainly because of the green hair and sharp eyes.

"One at a time, please," Lucy says flustered.

"Sorry, kid, you can't blame us for our curiosity," Macao laughs.

Her jaw twitches. "After what you did, you aint' got the right to curiosity."

"I didn't mean anything bad by it, honest!'

"Forget it, man," Gray chuckles. "You dug your own grave with that first impression."

"He's no  _man_  for makin' a lady feel that way," Elfman cries out, flexing his bulging muscles. While being the biggest male here, towering over most of the others with muscles that could rival a thousand-year-old tree trunk, Lucy has found no fear with him due to the way the others brush off his behavior as something to give a mild chuckle at. Elfman's got an odd way of speaking, she's noticed, as if he wants to embody the way he looks into the way he acts, forcing out the 'man' in himself.

She smiles to the others around her. "I am interested to see how you males live."

"What's so different about this place? It is manlier?" Elfman asks.

"Well, one thing different is that back in my tribe, we have sunflowers fields, but I haven't seen any here so far."

He tilts his head to the side. "Never heard of sunflowers before. They don't sound manly enough, to me."

"That's not the point of them."

"Can you eat the flowers?" Natsu asks.

"The seeds you can. They're kind of salty but taste great. Sunflowers can actually grow taller than even you." Lucy lifts her hand as high as she can to emphasize her point.

It's quite the mood shift when a long, black-haired brute gets directly in her face, sporting a threatening sneer that dares her to back way. What's more horrifying are the studs of Metalicana sticking out from the males tanned skin, running along the sides of his nose, over where his eyebrows should be and piercing other areas of his body.

What is this? Why does he look like that? What does he want? Lucy thinks rapidly.

She jumps when he gets closer to her face, staring directly in her eyes in what feels to be a challenge. She is unable to go anywhere with the crowd surround her, penning her in like a pig awaiting slaughter at the hands of this aggressive male.

"W-what …?" Lucy asks nervous.

"You definitely don't look like a good meal," he mutters.

Happy from up above cackles. "Neither do you, Gajeel, but everyone still wants to take a chunk out of your skin!"

"Shut it, cat!"

Natsu snorts, raising an eyebrow. "Lucy was never food in the first place."

"That's not what you thought when you first brought her here."

"That was then and this is now."

"If you're not food, then what good are you?" Gajeel asks harsh. "What's up with Flame Brain wanting to keep you around? I don't see the appeal."

Lucy tries to hold her voice steady, not wanting to show fear. "I-I'm not some property."

"I kept her around because she's interestin'. What more reason do I need?" Nastu asks as if bored.

Gajeel stands at full height, making Lucy feel like an ant waiting to be crushed under the crazy atmosphere he radiates. He spits off to the side without any heed of whom might be in the direction his spit flies—luckily avoiding someone thanks to their quick footwork—and eye's her curiously in a sort of cruel manner. Gajeel is leaving her clueless on what she can do to make friends with him, not wanting to have enemies within the Male Tribe under any circumstances. In the first place, why is he mad with her?

Lucy tries to discreetly eye Natsu, looking out for any indication from his posture that he isn't comfortable with Gajeel being around, but, no, that doesn't seem to be the case. Natsu faces Gajeel head on with a small smile that says familiarity, perhaps a ting of annoyance in his eyes at scaring her but nothing that indicates he's about to push Gajeel away for his aggressive behavior. Natsu would never let her get hurt, and he doesn't seem the least worried over Gajeel's attitude, so maybe this is normal behavior for the Metalicana-studded male.

"Don't mind him," Gray says, confirming Lucy's thoughts. "Gajeel just doesn't know how to express himself. He doesn't mind you being here, I'm sure of it."

"Don't speak for me, Ice Dick," he says harsh.

"What are you going to do about it?"

"I'll kick your teeth in, that's what, if you keep saying stupid shit."

"I'm up for a brawl!" Natsu joyously chimes in.

Lucy pinches the bridge of her nose and sighs. Maybe she was looking into this too hard. "Males …" she mutters.

"Yeah, our species can be a little stupid."

Startled by the crackle in this voice—as all of the other voices around her have tones of youth and enthusiasm—Lucy quickly turns around to find a very frail, old man. Shorter than the rest, as his height only reaches to about her hip, his mouth is lined with facial hair that has grayed from age, wrinkles crease at the edge of his friendly eyes and he supports his weight on a wooden cane. Lucy vaguely remembers this older man, upside down at the time due to being tied to a stick, but the decorations he adorns of bones and teeth crowing his head and chest are a reminder of who this is: the leader of the Male Tribe.

She straightens up and quickly bows at the waist. "Pleased to meet you, wise male. I am Lucy."

From among the crowd, a voice stands out. "Don't call Mas Ter wise, it'll go to his fat head!"

"Shut it, you ingrates! You should have more manners around a pretty lady," he orders. "Bunch of animals, the lot of you."

"Says the guy that's been telling how much he wants to squeeze Lucy's—!"

The village leader clears his throat loudly, prompting him to actually start coughing due to his shriveled throat being dried out, pointedly cutting off the voice that fades into the background of the crowd. Lucy is already starting to get an idea on who this old man is as a person …

"Now then, Lucy, I've been wanting to meet you for some time," he says.

"I know you might not like me being here but Natsu can be a little stubborn," she says.

"I already talked to Mas Ter about you, don't worry about it. He's cool with you being here," Natsu smirks.

"You're more than welcomed here, my dear," the elderly leader agrees. "In fact, now that you've come to the village, I was hoping we could talk. You're the first female I've met in a long time and I was wonderin' if things had changed at all with your kind. Us males have been stuck in our ways for quite a long while, if you can't tell," he chuckles. Mas Ter tells that of the other females he's met before, Lucy is the most beautiful he's ever laid eyes on. To emphasize his point, his arm literally stretches out from his body like a long string of sap and reaches around to roughly pat her on the rear.

Lucy squeals startled and backs away with her hands covering her butt, bumping into the boys behind her that laugh at her reaction. "What was that?!" she shouts.

"Don't go bein' such a pervert already," Natsu growls, fisting a hand in warning that Mas Ter's antics aren't appreciated.

"Already?! You were expecting it!"

Mas Ter's laughing clacks his bone necklace against his chest. "Sorry, sorry, young ones. I couldn't help but adore such fine assets."

"Wh-what happened with your hand? It stretched!"

"Ah, that would be my magic from the Gods." As a demonstration, his hand grows twice the size of his body, its enormous size letting her see all the little details in his sun-tanned skin, the hair on his knuckles and the way finger bones notch out from the joints in old age. "Of course, with things being so peaceful now-a-days I've had no used for it. I'm out of practice and can only change my body to certain shapes and sizes," he says, shrinking his hand back down to its normal size.

Moving past Mas Ter's obvious starvation for the female touch—much to Lucy's weariness, as she keeps her distance despite knowing he could easily reach out to her if he wanted to—he states how he wishes to discuss the differences in culture between their two species, how the females work compared to the males and to exchange information about one another.

It's an exciting prospect to Lucy, freely being given new, valuable information that she could take back to the Female Tribe ...

"Hey, you can talk about that over some food. I'm starvin' over here," Natsu interrupts. "Why don't we go to the meat hall and have dinner?"

Choruses of agreements get tossed in the air, saliva flowing and feet moving towards the meat hall Natsu spoke of without hesitation. She is corralled along with the crowd to where the food is.

After all is said and done, Lucy gained more knowledge about male life in that one moment inside the meat hall than she has the entire time observing Natsu. In a way, humans are humans—males and females really aren't that much different when it comes to doing what's needed for survival. They hunt in groups, share stories to keep tales going, comfort one another and show a smile when things are bleak. Boys though don't seem to have a wide range of perspective, as they pin-point focus on certain things and don't realize the much broader spectrum life comes with. Boys also don't care much for hygiene and can talk about some of the most disgusting things. But they are mainly creative creatures when it comes to solving problems, are easily able to take care of themselves proficiently and there's something ornate about them that gives off a softness when they laugh with meaning.

Those things don't matter, because what keeps Lucy awake tonight is that keeps her awake most nights. All this new information told by Mas Ter is a reminder of what's waiting for her, of what she promised herself at the beginning of summer—to return to the females and relay this information.

Going back home is still on her mind ... but that's it. These thoughts have become nothing more than thoughts, as she has not taken a single step towards escaping after her last failed attempt. Lucy has to go back someday though. She wants to see her girls again, to, at the very least, apologize to Erza for the fight they had before she left and to share this knowledge with everyone else. She has no right to keep this information to herself when it could mean a whole new future for her kind, making a discovery like this.

But still.

Memories of her day gently wash ashore in her mind. Of the males and their smiles in welcome, curiosity and excitement in the air, happiness all around formed from their straight-forward ways of life. Even those like Gajeel that defensively crossed their arms she noticed didn't actually mean any harm. If there's one thing she's learned, it's that males have a harder time expressing themselves and while, for example, Natsu would rather bounce around with some other distraction then face what's bothering him, Gajeel puts up a tough front and plays distant when what he really wants is to be part of the crowd. Even Macao who made the mistake of a bad first impression sends a wave of guilt through Lucy, remembering how close he is to Romeo and seeing the young boy return a heart-felt smile.

Most of all, Natsu's radiant smile comes to her. How truly happy he was about everything, about her meeting his extended family and friends, about being openly accepted among his fellow men. This pounding of the heart, the flutter of joy at Natsu's smiles and the glee he fills her with—they were shocking things to her body at first but they've become sensations she's come to enjoy in such a short amount of time. She hasn't figured out what they mean, but they make her .. airy, what she thinks it would feel like to be on a cloud.

As of now, Natsu sleeps next to her peacefully, unaware of how wide awake Lucy really is. She can't help but reach out to him, gently brushing his bangs back from his eyes and caressing the side of his head. He seems to sense her touch, giving a light humming noise and sighing softly.

Since their late night walk days ago, thinking about leaving Natsu's home out of the blue has brought a sense of betrayal to Lucy, but now the weight of that betrayal extends to the Male Tribe. She might not know these men personally but she knows that hurting Natsu's loved ones doesn't forebode well. If they get hurt by her need to leave, coming to accept her only to find out she didn't accept them, then that sub-sequentially affects Natsu. He might have taken her away from one home but he made another home for her in return for his selfish acts.

What makes Natsu so important to where she feels she can't escape from his grasp?

Where does she belong?

* * *

**XxXxXxX**

* * *

The wind shakes the house something fierce, having Lucy look up to the creaking ceiling and keeping an eye on it in case it blows away. She's never been fond of wind, with its powerful force able to knock away trees, homes and lives at the ready. It's like a demon demanding to be let into the house to suck the air from your lungs, to batter the body with its punch of energy and up-heave your peaceful day. This particular gust of wind sends a tree limb falling to the ground, big enough to rattle the house a little and let Lucy know how unnerving this storm is becoming. It might not be a storm with rain and roaring thunder but, to Lucy, when it's this windy it might as well be the worst storm to ever come about.

It doesn't help at the moment that evil spirits are being shed away from her inner body, knotting her stomach into hopeless ties and giving her a slight nausea that comes and goes. Normally once a month, ill-intent spirits, ghosts and demons that have invaded a woman's body through her Blessed Passage get shed away like blood from a river. For Lucy, that time was skipped for almost 75 days, practically the entire course of the summer, immensely worrying her that she was going to be possessed by bad spirit. Now that the time has come, she's more relieved to have that pain in her lower back then anything. With all the stress and new experience happening in her life, she can only assume that was the reason her red river was kept at bay for so long.

This monthly ritual started late in the morning while Natsu was gone, out on his usual hunt and exercise routine. Lucy could tell it had started from the cramping in her lower stomach; a universal sign to any lady the devil has come. Luckily, she was smart about this and has been secretly gathering cloths to prepare for the inevitable, but how is she supposed to get around all of this with Natsu? She's hoping that the herbs and spices she's using as a perfume will cover up the smell of blood. The one thing she can't hide though is her heightened irritation and stiffness during this time of the month.

Natsu comes barreling through the doorway with the harsh wind at his back, sending the treated buffalo skin flapping away and pushing him to the ground. Lucy can't help but give a hearty laugh seeing his utter defeat by Mother Nature. He leans up on a forearm, heaving out a large sigh and wringing the neck of the large pheasant he's caught.

"You can't handle the wind?" Lucy snickers.

He frowns hard. "Can too. The weather is getting nasty. I bet the next storm we get is going to come down with rain like mad."

He brushes off the dirt from his face and clothes, hanging the dead bird with rope around it's neck above the ice-box. At the nest, Lucy has been stitching furs together using a mixture of smaller animal hides, creating a new article of clothing for herself. In the meantime, she's reluctantly taken to borrowing some of Natsu's warmer hides with the days getting shorter and the nights longer. Natsu has made her pelts of dried elk and deer skin but she's never been one to wear the same garment for more than a week. After that time, she must soak it in the river, wash it out and hang to dry in the light of the Big Igny. Plus, during this time of month, despite there being a small Igny heating the space and a heavy pelt draped over her shoulders, Lucy can't help but shiver. It's as if the more blood she loses through her Blessed Passage the colder her body becomes.

Natsu notices her shake and adds a few logs to the Igny. "Have you seen Happy?"

Pausing to think, Lucy slowly shakes her head. "No, last I saw him was a little bit before the Big Igny came up."

"That jerk. He's been running off without telling me. What's his deal?"

"Maybe he's breaking away on his own."

"No way," he says, going to sit by her. "We've been together for a long time, there's no way Happy would want to be anywhere else."

"Then I'm afraid I can't answer you."

Natsu inhales a large breath of air in frustration and slowly lets it out, brushing his bangs back between his fingers. But when the breath is fully released, he looks to Lucy quizzically. Distracted with her sewing, as she doesn't want to prick her finger— _again—_ she doesn't notice the way Natsu gets a little closer to her. It's when his sniffing becomes pointed and his stare scrutinizing, burning holes through her tingling skin, that she cautiously turns to him.

"Yes …?" she asks.

His eyes narrow. "You smell funny."

She lowers the furs to her lap in shock. Has he noticed so quickly?! Embarrassment overcomes her and she tries to laugh it off. "It's nothing. I accidentally fell into a … a funny smellin' herb, that's it, and I haven't been able to get the scent off."

It's not surprising when Natsu doesn't believe her, judging from the way he raises an eyebrow and juts a corner of his mouth down. Lucy could hear the way her own laugh was fake and forceful. Lying never was her forte.

He leans towards her on his hands and steals her heartbeat when he presses his nose into the crook of her neck, taking pointed whiffs of her skin. "I can smell a little blood and something plain weird. Did you get hurt?" he asks concerned.

How can she explain this?! She's never had to do such a thing before, as every female once they reach a certain age knows what this is and therefore have no need to truly talk about it unless for comfort or advice. Certain females have no trouble talking about the devils red river, such as Erza who is always obvious when that time of the month comes for her, spiking her rage into something to truly fear. For Lucy, this is normally taken as a privet manner that she doesn't want to bother others with.

She gets the air punched out of her when Natsu gently presses his knuckles against her stomach. She's about to flee to the other side of the hut and simultaneously scream when a cheerful voice has him back away.

"That wind is a killer," Happy says.

Both humans snap their heads to the doorway when the little cat comes crashing through the buffalo hide that continues to flap every so often in the wind.

Thankful for the distraction, Lucy quickly asks where Happy has been.

He grooms his fur down to keep it neat and clean, snickering in mischief. "I've been around."

"Around the _tribe_  or …?" Natsu asks agitated.

"I'll tell you later."

"Later would be now. You've been actin' weird and I don't like it."

He walks over to them with a haughty wave of his paw in dismiss. "I need to figure out a few things and then you can meet it."

"Huh? That makes no sense."

He reaches forward to try and snatch Happy into his hands but the cat is light on his feet. He dashes behind Lucy who he uses as a shield. "Help, he's being mean," he whimpers sadly.

"Natsu, leave him alone," she sighs. "If he doesn't want to tell you, he doesn't have to."

"Yeah, he does. He's supposed to be my friend!" he hisses.

"As long as he's not causing trouble, Happy's allowed to his own secretes."

They stare off against one another, eyes sharp and stubbornness sharper between the two. He lets out a low, throaty growl to try and intimate her but she's not having it. She's used to the sound and knows the difference in tone between an empty threat and a real temptation for Natsu to bite down on someone's throat. They've been through this before, Natsu always saying that Lucy would let Happy get away with anything, giving him an unfair advantage just because he's cute, and Lucy knows that Natsu's too much of a softy on the inside to not let her have her way.

He huffs and turns his face away. "Fine, but you can't hide him forever."

She smiles triumphantly and reaches around to pat Happy on the back, but the cat doesn't look at her. Instead of seeing a smirk and a sparkle in his eyes from having won the argument, Happy buries his nose into the coyote pelt she has wrapped around her.

When she's about to ask what he's doing, his eyebrows furrow. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah, why wouldn't I be?"

"I can smell blood."

Oh no, not him, too! Lucy stiffens and clenches her hands in her lap. Those wild herds she found earlier in the season aren't helping at all. Natsu she always sort of knew there was no getting around with his sense of smell but there is no way she's going to explain what's happening to little Happy, as well. She'd rather let these demons kill her.

"That's what I said but she's being strange about it," Natsu agrees. "Fess up. Where are you hurt? I can smell it's by your stomach."

"Seriously, I'm fine, you two. Quit getting worked up," she dismisses.

"I don't like this …"

"As long as you're okay," Happy says, patting her back. "I have to get going, though. I came back only for some fish."

He goes to where the fish are stored away in the ice-box, having Natsu groan in agitation and slap his hand against the floor. "You can't keep this secrete forever, ya know."

"I won't. I promise. You only need to give me a little more time," he says, fish in hand.

Lucy realizes in utter surprise that whatever this is about, it's important to Happy. He has a rainbow trout in his hands, a type of fish he never shares with anyone and eats only for special occasions.

"That fish …" Natsu mutters.

Happy hops back to the door, saying quickly. "I'll see you two later. I hope your wound heals up nice and tight by the time I get back, Lucy!" The cat bursts through the wall of wind outside of the hut, soaring away to fight against the elements and leaving them to stew in their confusion.

"What is  _with_  him?!" Natsu shouts.

"I guess we'll have to wait until he's comfortable enough to tell us. Maybe he's training," Lucy suggests.

He crosses his arms tightly. "He'd normally let me in on somethin' like that."

"Plotting to take over the world?"

"Too stupid to try."

"Wow, you have a lot faith in your friend. How about appeasing the Gods and showing an offering? That could explain the fish."

"If he's offering food to the Gods then he's really fucked up on something. I should have known by now if he had."

"Has he given food before …?"

Natsu explains how Happy almost got Mas Ter's Sacred Rod chopped off with a hatchet. Through a series of clumsiness and too small of a body holding too large of a weapon, the hatchet went soaring through the air and landed square near Mas Ter's balls. Happy prostrated himself by offering a month's worth of fish to the Matriarch of the world, since it was the only way the Gods and Mas Ter could forgive Happy.

The bridge of Lucy's nose wrinkles. "I might not have balls but getting hurt by a hatchet sounds bad either way."

"I'll get the answer out of him soon enough," Natsu nods hard. He swerves on his butt, turning to face her head on. It's not a good sign. "Back to you. If you got hurt, then you need to show me."

"Do you think Happy's planning to run away?"

"Lucy …"

"What about—?"

"I know what you're doing. Stop it," he orders. "You're horrible at crap like this."

She sighs down to her lap and apologizes.

"Why don't you want to show me? Is the cut somewhere embarrassing?"

"I'm not hurt. Really, I'm telling the truth."

"Then what am I smelling?"

"It is blood but at the same time not …"

Natsu verbally says nothing, but his dull expression says all on what he thinks of her explanation.

"I don't feel good, is all. For the next while I won't. There's a part of me being torn away," she says.

"You're dying?!" he asks horrified.

"What—no, I'm not! I never said that. Don't jump to conclusion and listen to me."

The longer Lucy goes on about what's happening to her, the slacker Natsu's jaw gets. She tells all that she can in the simplest of terms for him to understand. All the while, she can't bring herself to look at him, sticking her eyes to her hands that quickly kneed the half-made pelt in her lap. Her face burns like a thousand Big Igny's and her voice cracks every couple of sentences but she refuses to let her words drift away. She has to explain, otherwise Lucy knows that Natsu will start panicking the longer he smells blood and will eventually try and 'save' her. While humbling to know of how much he cares for her, sometimes he cares too much.

"I don't understand how you're not dead," he says in disbelief. "If a man bled for five days, he'd be under with the fishes."

"The Gods protect females during this time and give us strength. Its how I'm able to get through some of those days where the pain is enough to keep me in the nest."

"You don't seem to be in pain right now."

"No, it's the beginning of it all, so I don't feel the pain as of yet. Give it a day or two and then I'll be rolling on the floor. Also, I apologize in advance if I get snippety with you."

"I'm used to it."

Her eyebrows lower. "Not what you should say."

Natsu's eyes widen a little, hopefully getting the message that his lose-lips might get him into trouble more easily than normal with this going on. Anyone bleeding out of their crotch would be pissed.

He looks to the nest then back to her in uncertainty. "Is there anything I can do to help?"

"Not really," she says softer. "A warm cloth against my stomach helps a little and brewed ginger does, as well."

"Are you sure you're okay?"

His concern drifts away some of her embarrassment. Lucy, at the very least, is happy he's not laughing about it or trying to get away from her as if she's cursed. She's pretty sure that he doesn't fully understand all that she told him but it's cute to see him worry.

"I'll live. You really don't have to concern yourself," she says.

A gust of wind blows through, rattling the hut and sending the buffalo hide flapping. Natsu quickly gets up to tie the hide down to the edges of the doorway, trying to keep that horrible wind at bay. Lucy can't help but duck a little; lowering her head and having her shoulders pinch inward. The house creeks and moans, saying that the wind may be too much for it to handle. It's like listening to a dying beast cry out.

Natsu secures the last corner of the buffalo hide to the door frame near the ground. "This wind is getting nasty. Good thing we have extra food stored away so we don't have to go back out soon."

Lucy sighs and takes her eyes away from the ceiling. "Your first concern would be food."

Somewhere outside, a tree branch breaks away from its trunk and falls hard to the ground, having her jump at the sound and clutching her pelt a little closer to her abdomen. She waits for the roof to come crashing down.

He stops before he can sit beside her once again, steadily watching her. "You don't like this, do you?"

"The wind? Yeah, I hate it," she admits, burrowing into her coyote pelt a little closer.

"What for?"

"It creates a mess; things fall and I just hate it. … When I was little, a tree fell down on the home I was sleeping in. Since then, there's something about the wind I can't help but be afraid of."

Natsu's lips tighten and he looks to the ground. That thoughtful expression doesn't last long when he suddenly smiles, quickly going to a little woven basket and pushing around the things inside. He sticks his nose into the opening with his eager searching's, digging into the bottom of the basket. His behavior has Lucy curiously watch him.

"Ah, here it is," he says quietly.

He takes out a small grass-woven bag from the basket, an item she's never seen before. She's cleaned this place thoroughly and while it is true that she can't remember every single item she's sorted through, she does remember a good majority of it, but that little grass bag deludes her.

He then goes to the wooden box Lucy organized the more random items into—strings, arrow-heads, needles and whatever else she couldn't find a proper place for. Natsu sits in front of the box with his back towards her once he finds what he needs and gets to work.

"What are you making?" Lucy asks, leaning to the side to try and see what he's messing with.

"Wait a second," he grins.

"Don't start being like Happy and keeping secretes, too."

"You'll like this. All you gotta do is wait."

Lucy shrugs in silent answer to him and goes back to her sewing, pretending to lose interest but eagerly waits to see what he's up to. In the time it takes for Natsu to do whatever he's doing, she pricks herself two more times thanks to the wind acting up. This stupid little fear of hers can really jeopardize her life at times. Every once in a while, she'll hear Natsu swear under his breath, muttering frustrations and bringing what he's working on closer to his face, as if that will somehow make things easier. It's when a faint glow reflects in the corner of her eyes that she looks up from her sewing. The glow is coming from Natsu, more specifically his right hand, a burning light like molten lava pouring over his skin. She knows it's his Igny magic but it's never been summoned that brightly before.

Lucy gasps. " _What_ are you doing?"

He smiles joyfully and the Igny before him dies down. "Close your eyes and hold out your hands."

"Please don't put anything gross in them," she says uncertain.

She cups her hands together out in front of her and slowly does as told. There's a sense of nervousness going into this blind, knowing that Natsu's enthusiasm can translate into something weird—he once found joy in eating the spiciest food to ever come to life in this world, a pepper that would make any normal human die from the heat alone.

Pelts shuffle and Natsu's body weight drops to sit before her in the nest, the shift in temperate almost making her want to laugh, as he's a walking heat source. She can smell how close he's gotten, the scent of forest pine and a type of white ash drifting over her blushing face. When his fingers brush against hers, a jolt runs up her arms and the senses in her body heighten to his presence. Lucy has to tell herself that this isn't something to get nervous about. Natsu drops something on a string into her palms, moving her hands to tightly cup the object. He squeezes her hands together, the heat of his skin making her want to duck her head in shyness.

"Imagine what makes you feel strong. Think of protection and happiness. Think of it  _real_  hard and concentrate that feeling into your hands. If you don't like the wind, then this will keep it at bay. Believe that this will protect you," Natsu instructs.

Lucy does as she's asked, understanding what's happening. She's done this before with other amber, stalagmites and jades, putting spiritual strength into an object to influence its use. Natsu must have made a protection stone for her, that's what all the fuss was about. To some, putting their faith in a rock can seem idiotic; a waste of time, but Lucy can see the importance to it. If she can talk to the stars then she can believe in her own spirit enough to instill it into an object.

She imagines a type of haze surrounding her, white and flowing like glittered mist, heading out from her body and gathering into the object at hand. She images that all of her insecurities for the wind, for the trees that could fall and for the house that could be lost, are being pushed back from the protective force she gathers into this corner stone of her life. She doesn't have to be afraid of the wind. Not anymore.

Natsu squeezes her hands tighter, rattling her concentration but for a moment when a new realization comes to mind. This stone is a representation of Natsu trying to make her feel better, forged with the Igny in his blood and instilling a burning desire to make sure she never feels alone or afraid again. He's here to protect her, whether by him being physical here or by spirit alone.

Lucy smiles softly while keeping her eyes closed.

Natsu lightly lifts her hands up and brings them back down just as gently. As if in a hand shake of agreement, the deed is done. "Alright, I think you're good," he says.

Lucy snaps her eyes open and eagerly waits for him to remove his hands to let her see what kind of stone he's given her. When he does, she finds in her hands a wine-red amulet reflecting with lines of gold, a field of poppy flowers with golden rivers running through it. The stone has been welded to pieces of melted stone copper, keeping it securely in place for a thin rope to be pushed through the little hoop Natsu made at the tip of it. Of course, the welding job isn't perfect, some spots look as if the copper got burnt black and the melted copper was twisted into a sort of wiring that's jagged in places, but none of that matters to Lucy.

"It's beautiful," she says in awe.

Natsu chuckles with a bashful scratch to the back of his head. "I found that in the river the day after you first came here. I always thought of it as a good luck charm."

"Natsu … thank you so much." She puts the charm on, the rope long enough to easily let her head slip through and have the amulet sit comfortably on her chest, glimmering in the light of the Igny near them.

"I knew it would look good on you," he nods in approval.

"Do you know what amulets represent?"

His head tilts to the side, saying he doesn't.

"They are said to bring health to those wearing them. To provide protection against loss of air to the chest and the rising of anger in the gut." She can't help but laugh and pat her stomach. "It's almost ironic you've given me this type of stone with these demons being shed away."

He barks out a laugh. "Then a two for a one! Hah, wait 'till I tell Happy."

"Oh, about that, I was hoping you wouldn't say anything about what my bodies doing to him. Or any other male, in fact," she says hesitant.

"How come? I'm sure Happy wouldn't mind."

"Yes, but I would. I don't want everyone to know about this." Lucy quickly thinks of a way to explain why. Though the words she chooses aren't necessarily true, it'll be enough for Natsu to understand better instead of simply saying it's embarrassing. "I'm weak during this time. The less people know about it, the less danger I'm in."

His back straightens. "Ah, I get it. I'm sure Happy could keep this a secrete, look at what he's already doing, but if you don't want him to know … then I guess that's fine." He thumps a fist against his chest, having the hollowness of his upper body ring with pride. "You can count on me to keep you safe during this time."

She sighs relieved. "Thank a lot."

Reaching out to him, Lucy presses her lips to his in a quick peck.

In return, Natsu looks surprised at first, strangely holding still with his hands clenched in his lap. That look quickly gives way to a sharp smirk, alerting her to what's about to happen. "Come on, Lucy. I give you this awesome gift and that's all the thanks I get," Natsu says playful. He slowly leans forward on his hands to get closer to her mouth with the grin of a nosy predator.

"No, I'm not playing this game with you tonight," she frowns.

"It's no game," he laughs.

Natsu lingers close enough that Lucy can feel his breath brush across the skin of her cheek, tingling there as she becomes attracted to the heat radiating from him. The way he leans towards her sets the heart flying, the position Natsu's in showing off the nimble strength of his arms and the curve of his back. He presses his mouth to hers as she tries to laugh around his lips, backing her head up to try and fake that she stills wants to get away.

They've pecked lips often ever since their first encounter. Mostly, their kisses are thanks to Natsu, as he's never had any trouble showing Lucy how much she's come to mean to him. He finds her embarrassment funny, teasing her a lot of the time by trying to keep his mouth near hers like he's doing now, getting the upper hand in their rough-housing. She wasn't keen on kissing often when they first starting showering these types of actions upon one another. It was hard enough at times to watch Natsu go about his day, her attraction towards him as strong as ever, then to suddenly get that close to him would make Lucy about faint at times. She's lucky Natsu's persistent though, as those pecks and slip of the lips are quite inescapable. Throughout the ending of the summer, Natsu's touches have become a usual occurrence for her to expect, ones she honestly looks forward to. There's a familiarity with his heat when he reaches out, grabs her hand or tries to pock fun at her.

For Lucy, the kisses have become a way of showing quick affections whenever something exciting happens, wanting to show her appreciation. Also, it's been a good way for her to slowly get used to such close contact with him. One time, bringing home a particular type of pheasant to eat earned Natsu a firm kiss that she gladly showered upon him. During another moment, Natsu came and helped her pick ripened apples to bring home, compelling a kiss to come along.

Within these kisses, she's noticed something weird about Natsu, which is saying something because he's weird in a lot of aspects. It's strange how he can be confident when he's the one going to her, never batting an eyelash with his kisses, but when it's  _her_  that goes to him, he sometimes can have problems. He'll stiffen up, not know how to react and will surprisingly go quiet. At times, he'll even shuffle his feet from side to side if he's standing up. She doesn't have a clue how to understand his behavior considering kissing is such a new thing between them. Maybe he's not used to receiving affection when he's the one that normally shows it firstly to gain a reaction?

"Okay, okay, I get it, back up," Lucy chuckles, pressing a hand against his chest.

Natsu sits down in front of her with that smug smirk plastered to his face, laughing low under his breath.

The wind howls outside, having the house call out its displeasure at the powerful force. Out of natural reaction, Lucy looks up to the ceiling, but the wind is also a reminder of what sits against her skin now. She clutches the red and gold amulet, taking comfort in its—and his—presence.

Natsu smiles. "See, you'll be fine."

Lucy squares her shoulder and smiles broadly. "You're right."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Author Notes:
> 
> Originally there was simply a few paragraphs summarizing what it was like for Lucy to meet the Male Tribe but I realized concerning where I want the story to go, the boys play a bigger part and don't deserve to be glossed over.
> 
> I wasn't too sure if the later half of the chapter was needed but at the same time I felt I couldn't ignore it, either. It made for some creative ways to explain periods, I'll say that much. 
> 
> Alrighty! Please leave a kudo's but most importantly a review and tell me what you guys think of the chapter! Thank you!


	7. Harvest Moon: Part One

Lucy sets her eyes to the horizon, watching the way it begins to haze into a deeper yellow as the Big Igny gets closer to the ground. In the reflection of her eyes are bright white dots that coat the heavens, stars of the biggest kind slowly coming out to give their greetings. She pays close attention to the way Aeries hesitantly says hello, a faint glow in the sky but ever present to Lucy. Of course, Aquarius is the most blinding of all the constellation and throws a shooting star at her in retaliation for her weakness in willingly staying with a male. Having grown up with such a violent horoscope, Lucy is used to Aquarius's ranting and raving at the smallest things. She likes to interpret it as concern for her safety.

"It's been a while but I would give it one more day to dry out," Natsu says, rubbing his hands together in satisfaction at his work.

Every part of the caribou he caught has been stripped of its fat, meat either eaten ravenously by them or stored away for later temptations. It's fluffy fur of light brown melting into pure white at its edges has been brushed clean and treated with a layer of salt. As of now, the pelt has string woven along it's edges that allows it to be be pulled tight against a rack of sticks, it's handle forced into the ground. The caribou pelt faces the direction of the Big Igny where it comes up every morning, drying from its intense heat.

"I can't wait to wear it," Lucy sighs dreamily.

"You could always continue to wear my stuff," Natsu says.

"Thanks but it's a little big for me."

She constantly has to make sure that her borrowed vests don't slide off her shoulders. She's taken to closing most of the open vests—as it's hard to find a top that isn't open at the front, as Natsu likes his pelts made that way—by shoving a couple of sharp bones through the front to pin them close. She's also taken to tying a rope around her waist to properly keep the matching wraps up, lest she let those fall, too. The other pelts she's sewn for herself are … not of the best quality. It's honestly impressive Natsu can treat animal skins like he does.

Lucy glances at the sky once again and fiddles with her fingers behind her back. "Hey, Natsu, I was thinking, would you and Happy mind coming out with me to see the stars? It's a harvest moon tonight and I don't want to miss it."

His head tilts to the side. "Harvest moon?"

"It's a sign for changing of the seasons. Normally my tribe would celebrate its change, gather food, sing and do other stuff. Since I'm not with them, I don't know, I thought maybe you'd like try it out. It looks like it's going to be the perfect night for it."

Happy comes around the house with a freshly caught Sun Fish in his paws. "We do that, too, but we call it the Autumn Equinox Festival," he grins.

Lucy's spirit dampens hearing that but she tries not to show it. The boys are going to want to celebrate with their tribe, and while she's sure they'll invite her to go to the male Equinox Festival, it's not the same. She wants to celebrate with the traditions she's grown up with, things she misses and wants to share with Natsu, since he's already shared so much with her. Plus, the thought of returning to the male tribe for such an occasion would ruin the entire night, thinking that the moment they lay eyes on her the males are going to most likely bombard her and never leave her alone.

"Ah, so it's another thing humans do no matter where they are from," Lucy says. "Well, that's fine. I'm sure the other males will want to have you guys around for the festival."

"It's a fun time, alright. Every year Max gets drunk and does what he calls his 'happy dance'. I like to think it's a tribute to yours truly," the cat says playful, puffing out his chest.

"It's no more a dance than it is a shiver," Natsu smirks.

"And then by the end of the night, he'll become acquainted with the nearest stick."

Lucy raises an eyebrow. "He'll what?"

"He gets a stick shoved up his ass," Natsu says.

"That sounds horrible!"

"For him, sure, but for us it's hilarious."

"I don't understand you males sometimes …"

"You're going to have to tell the others I'm not going this year, Happy. This will be my first equinox with Lucy. No way am I going to miss it. Besides, it doesn't matter where I am as long as their's food. You should seriously come with us, Buddy."

"No thanks," he says muffled, softly nibbling on the head of his fish. "Why don't you have Lucy come to the party with us?"

He snorts annoyed. "If they're weird around her when sober, I don't want to imagine the stir Lucy would cause when they're drunk."

"Whatever you say," Happy shrugs. Jumping up, he brings out his white wings and beats them rapidly to keep himself in the air. He clutches the sun fish to his chest like treasure to make sure it doesn't fall to the dirty ground. "You two have fun. I'm leaving early, since there's something I gotta do before the party starts. I'll return when I can."

"Bye, Happy!" Lucy calls out, waving goodbye as he flies off.

Her excitement returns tenfold at Natsu's willingness to celebrate this occasion with her. She tells him how great it is to have him do this and that it's something she definitely doesn't want to miss out on. Before he can say anything, she eagerly runs into the hut and grabs her woven basket, gathering small items of food to carry off into the woods for the night.

Natsu lightly pushes aside the buffalo hide to peek through the doorway, cautious of Lucy's sudden enthusiasm. "You want to do this now? Normally the guys wait until the Big Igny in the sky is asleep."

"Yes, I don't want to wait any longer. We have to praise it early while the Big Igny and the moon are in the sky at the same time—one rising, one setting. We have to watch the moon rise from the edge of the ground up to the highest peak."

Lucy exits the hut with a few heavy pelts draped over her head, as her arms are occupied with a full basket of fruit, herbs and soft bark to chew on. Natsu takes the pelts off her head with a chuckle; rusting her pony-tail and having them laugh harder at the absurd look.

"Where did you have in mind to go?" he asks, following her lead and walking into the darkening forest.

"I saw a meadow near here once before. I always thought it would make the perfect spot."

Heading to said area, Lucy doesn't factor in the tree roots that curl up from the ground in the vast forest, trying to twist an ankle along the way in the growing darkness. On more than one occasion, Natsu catches the poor girl before she can fall to the ground. His dragon sense must gives him an easy time seeing in the dark, Lucy thinks envious. Eventually he takes to leading the way, knowing of the meadow she speaks of and acting as a guide for Lucy to know where to place her feet. Despite carrying three heavy pelts, he continues to have enough strength to gather sticks and logs along the way, pilling them in his strong arms.

It's when the ground opens up and the sky swallows the land that light can finally be found. A sea of soft grass catches Lucy's tongue and steals her breath, covering the entire open plain and lightly swaying in the breeze, rusting around their ankles and tickling her with their gentle caresses. The forest line around the meadow creates a circle of coloring trees, with tints of red and brown reaching up along the skyline symbolizing Mother Autumn coming into play. To one side of the dark purple sky, the Big Igny has begun to set and to the other side the moon is taking its place, having already come above the tree line faster than anticipated. It's out in the open that the night chill really captures the body, the temperature dropping suddenly enough to have teeth chatter and the gut clench.

The most amazing thing though is the full moon this year, having a faint tint of red to it, standing out against the gray clouds and the black of the sky.

"Wow, this is awesome!" Natsu says in awe, walking with Lucy towards the center of the meadow. "But I guess we took longer than you might have thought to get here. We missed seeing the moon and Big Igny up at the same time."

"Not quite. I can see the Big Igny between the trees," she says optimistic.

Towards the other end of the meadow, they find a spot of a grass perfect for them to settle down in. Natsu drops the sticks he's gathered and spreads out one of the pelts for them, squishing down the tall grass with his feet and stomping over the pelt to create a smoother surface.

"It's cool to see the moon do that! Like a dragon set its breath on it," he grins.

"You said your dad was a dragon, right? Can you tell me a little more about him?" Lucy asks weary.

Having never truly gotten on this strange topic after it was discussed only once before, as it's hard to imagine such a fierce creature with a kind enough heart to raise a human child, she hopes that she hasn't pushed a thorn into Natsu's side asking about it.

"Dad was super awesome. Ten times bigger than you and me and able to breathe Igny like it was nothing. He took out an entire damn mountain side to prove a point to me once!" Natsu turns his eyes up to the blood moon, staring at it but not truly seeing it. "I had no one but him when I was small, Igneel being the earliest memory I have … But despite him disappearing, I don't want to give up thinking he's still alive out there. There's no way he would have went and left like that without a reason."

Lucy sets the basket of food down, gently sitting on the flattened pelt. "I don't know too much about dragons but I heard from Wendy that her dragon left almost seven years ago."

" _Really_?" He quickly drops to sit beside her. "Igneel left seven years ago. Did Wendy's dragon say why?"

"No. Wendy said her dragon sort of left one day."

"Gajeel's dragon left at the same time, too. There's got to be some reason why they all left at the same time." He sighs harsh and crosses his arms. "If they told someone or somethin' about this, none of us would be worried for their hides."

"I'm sure wherever Igneel is he's thinking of you," she smiles.

He looks back up to the harvest moon once again, the pull of it's beautiful aura turning ones eyes towards it without thought, and Natsu gives gentle pull of his lips. He doesn't saying anything beyond a small, sentimental nod.

He digs up a small hole to place the sticks he's gathered inside of and wth a palm full of Igny, he easily forces the darkness around them to back away. Between the glow of the moon and the growing Igny pit before them, the darkness is no longer threatening but rather heightens the beauty of the land, silhouettes of trees, the array of stars and the soft touch of color to the leaves.

Getting off the sad topic of Natsu's parental figure, Lucy tries—and easily succeeds with his ever-chipper mood—to distract him with the food she brought. While she knows he would prefer deer or boar's meat, the nuts, berries and other foods brought along he scarfs down without hesitation. Before the harvest moon and the spirit of Earth, they call with howls of praise and songs of folktales. They duet about a new season of hope with the changing of the land, pushing aside summer and basking the land in cool days and colorful trees. Out in the field, Lucy attempts a traditional dance in a display that would be considered graceful if not for the slippery grass that she constantly trips on. Natsu is unable to sing any longer, the sight of Lucy's feet kicking out from under her and having her fall to the ground a hysterical sight for him. Between a girl unable to dance and a boy with a slight def-tone singing voice, it's not the most elegant of festival rituals.

"You better stop before you really hurt yourself," Natsu laughs, leaning back on the pelt.

Lucy rubs her bruised hip. "I swear I'm normally a good dancer," she grumbles, getting up from the ground.

"That'd be a sight to see. Right now you're giving the moon such a laugh you're going to make it piss."

"I think you're speaking for yourself." The red moon has risen high above them, whispering in and out between clouds. "I wish we had some mead."

"I do, too. Should have taken some from the guys this morning," he says.

"Do you drink the mead?"

"Duh. How do you think everyone gets so piss-faced?"

"Oh, in my old tribe, we don't drink it. We offer it to the harvest moon."

"Sounds like a waste of a good drink."

Having enough of the cold night creeping up on her, along with the dew of the grass clinging to her skin, Lucy quickly goes back to the Igny and grabs one of the pelts brought along, bundling up in it next to Natsu with a tremble Searching for another pelt, she surprisingly finds that she didn't grab three pelts like she initially thought. Gently biting her lower lip, she eyes Natsu and thinks to herself that despite his body being abnormally hot thanks to his magical gift, he must still be able to get cold.

She slowly opens the wrap around her as an invitation. "Do you want to share?"

He smiles bright, the look enough to stutter her heart. "Sure."

They sit close together and are easily able to wrap the large bear pelt around them without fuss. It's such a blessing that Natsu's affinity is for heat, because the warmth he gathers under the pelts is to die for. In the endearment of the night, Lucy is in such peace being with Natsu like this that not even the swirling in her gut due to shyness makes her want to give this up. His close presence raises the finest hair on the body and she swears his scent is all she can gather in this forest, no pine, no grass—only Natsu.

"If you were cold you should have said so," she says.

He lightly pushes his upper arm against hers. "Nah, I just like being near you."

She's unable to comment on such a nonchalant confession, both due to Natsu continuing on and because of the way his words make her forget how to speak momentarily. He talks about what the other males are most likely doing right now, dancing like coals are under their feet and shouting to the moon like the wolves that rule this land. Being this far away from the tribe, Lucy hears nothing but the quiet rustling of the grass as mice and birds scurry through the meadow.

A pattern of stars above twinkle in hello to her.  _Good to see you doing well, Princess._

"Oh, oh, look!" Lucy insists.

In his eyes, Natsu sees nothing but regular stars. "What? I don't get it," he frowns.

She brings her arm out from the warmth of their cocoon and points straight up ahead where the stars form a pattern that she can clearly see. "That's Virgo saying hello to me. Then there's also Taurus and Gemini."

"I still don't see them."

"Look up. See that pattern to the right? The stars all connect to form what are called horoscopes. These are the signs that speak to me, like the wind speaks to Wendy or ice speaks to Gray. From a young age Aquarius, one of the horoscopes, often spoke to me. Although she's not the nicest … Being able to spark Igny like you do, Natsu, I'm sure if you practiced enough, you could eventually breathe fire out of your mouth."

"That sounds  _awesome_. I've gotta learn to do that!" He harshly blows air out of his mouth as if Igny will naturally come to his tongue but he huffs in disappointment when nothing happens. Going back to the sky, he comments how he doesn't see people in the stars, just random dots.

"Would it be alright if I grabbed your hand?" Lucy asks slowly. It's stupid that she has to ask such a thing, as they've had more personal contact before, but under these content, soft circumstances, her sensitive towards their relationship feels magnified.

Natsu's eyes widen slightly. "Yeah, sure."

Pushing pass the racing of her heart beat, she grabs the back of his hand and pulls it out from under the pelt, directing all of his fingers to lay down but for the pointer finger. She places her own hand above his and uses his finger like a rod to connect the stars that sit at the tip of his finger, showing him how the stars connect to form these horoscopes. Expecting the jump in her heart, Lucy holds herself steady and tries not to let shyness overtake her.

She explains. "Taurus is a bull. A little perverted but always there to give me strength when need be. Next up is Aeries, the Ram. Shy little spirit but she's super cute. Leo is a lion, kind of perverted like Taurus is but reliable."

She finally finds that those stars have penetrated past the darkness of Natsu's eyes to shine in their depths. "It's hard to believe that these things talk to you. It's crazy but cool," he says breathless.

"Most do not believe in them. The legend of these creatures has slowly died out over time."

"Are all of them female?"

"Surprising enough, not all of them are!" she says, eager to share her discovery. "I always assumed they were female, but after I came here I was told by Leo that he was male all along! That was a surprise but, okay, at the same time maybe not so much considering his behavior. It explains a lot more about him. Anyway, a few of them are female and some are male."

Natsu lowers their arms back under the pelt and Lucy takes that as the signal to give his hand back, quickly letting him go. That is until he reaches for her, pulling her hand back into his and holding their cupped hands gently against his knee. Lucy answers his gesture with a gleeful smile.

"Why didn't they say some of them were guys in the first place?" Natsu asks confused.

"I don't think it really mattered to them," she shrugs. "What's the difference to a horoscope? Or, more likely, some of them were teasing me for not knowing what males were in the first place. I wouldn't be surprised. The only thing that bothers me is that I can't really see them nor hear their voices, so all this time I couldn't really tell the differences in who they were until they told me."

"Wait, I thought you could hear them?"

"I can but only through the soul. It's hard to explain. Their voices are distinct for me but at the same time they're not. I can just sort of ...  _tell_  who's talking to me when spoken."

"I've noticed that some of the animals in the forest have distinct markings to tell which are male and female," he comments. "Like those bright red birds we see sometimes."

"Cardinals?"

"Yeah, those things. I think the guys are the really bright red ones. The other cardinals I've seen hanging around the red males look exactly the same in shape but are duller in color. Those have to be the females."

"I don't think I've ever noticed something like that before," Lucy says surprised.

"Try it. It's sort of funny when you look at the birds. Otherwise, it's hard to tell most animals apart. Foxes and boars look the same—it can get downright annoying."

She gathers her wits and leans her head against Natsu's broad shoulders. "Keep studying them. I'm sure you'll get the hang of it," she whispers content.

In a small part of her mind, she can't help but be proud of herself, having come a long way in doing such affectionate actions with Natsu. Before, she would get flustered and shy away from cuddling with him, almost comparing it to being a child weary of anything new, but thanks to Natsu's constant encouragement there's no thought to what she does anymore.

What does make her anxious is when Natsu's body goes ridged, a slight catch heard in his throat, but it's a short lived reaction as he quickly relaxes and tightens his hold on her hand. She wasn't worried he was going to push her away but it was enough that despite it only being a three second reaction, she can't help but be confused by it. Being a secretive creature that hides behind a smile, Natsu hasn't voiced why he can get tense like that at times around her, but since he also hasn't told her to back away she lets him be.

The air spikes around them, a sudden warmth bringing about a stickiness due to the humidity rising and a heavy mist that weights the body to seem drunk. Lucy's felt these strange changes in the air more than once after meeting Natsu, coming to figure out that his gift for Igny affects the air around him depending on his mood. When he's mad, the air scorches and there's no hint of protection to be seen from it's intensity as everything burns, from the skin, to each inhale of breath in the lungs. Having Natsu become sad or disappointed gives a vapid, lazy approach to the heat. Being content envelopes the air in a soft warmth, surrounded by it in the best way possible that makes the eyes feel heavy in need of sleep. Lucy's gotten used to these atmosphere changes overtime, hardly noticing them anymore but for when there's an extreme sudden shift in Natsu's mood.

She smiles a little, delighted to know exactly how happy Natsu is to be with her, as well.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is my favorite chapter so far. 
> 
> I'm sorry to say but I don't know if I'll be able to update anytime soon. With work being insane and the holidays coming around, a lot of my time is being occupied. Plus, I honestly want to participate in some art events taking place online, and what little free time I have is probably going to be dedicated to that.
> 
> If you want to continue to see Nalu work from me, my Tumblr and DA under the same username is the perfect place! I draw Nalu all the time.
> 
> I appreciate everyone's kind reviews! Please, leave another review for this chapter to tell me how it's going!
> 
> I promise to update as soon as I can once again. Thank you for your patience.


	8. Harvest Moon: Part Two

The Igny crackles and a chunk of wood falls, having ashes float up into the air and dance before the blood-red moon. The night stays enveloped in a warmth that can only be caused by Natsu, the delight Lucy finds sharing a bear pelt with him a sharp difference to how cold the air truly is. Autumn is here, the Equinox Festival being celebrated by them in this very moment. It doesn't seem to Lucy as if she's been with Natsu long enough for this moment to come around. Time has no meaning with him.

"You should come with me sometime to watch the animals, to figure out which are male and female," Natsu says. "I'm sure you'd enjoy it, knowing how much you like to stuff information in that head of yours."

"Despite the way you worded that, I wouldn't mind going with you," Lucy agrees.

Silence blankets the night, contentment found within each other's presence. All the while, a beating heart can be heard in Lucy's ear. She knows it's her own heart but she likes to imagine that it's Natsu's heavy-handed emotions that beat in his chest.

The moon heads higher and higher to the deepest point in the sky. At this time, she should be feeding it mead to give thanks for all its work in the summer and to give thanks for its upcoming work in the fall, but she can't bring herself to speak, less her voice breaks this trance they've put themselves into. To open her mouth would be to disturb this moment with Natsu, something she doesn't want. He's so warm …

But Natsu's the one to break the silence ironically. "Hey, Lucy, you know that kiss thing we do? I also learned that from watching the animals."

Lucy chuckles, finding it funny how hard it is for him to stay silent at times. "I was wondering where that came from. Nature can teach you many things."

"I haven't learned everything from watching the animals. Since they can't talk, they can't answer any of the questions I got. One of them …" He pauses in ponder, making a small humming noise. "Sometimes I still don't get being around you."

"What do you mean?" she asks curiously, backing away from his shoulder to look him in the face.

"I've seen other animals make homes with one another, like we're doing, but it doesn't feel the same with you."

"What more could you want?"

"To grab your boobs."

"Natsu!"

"What, you asked. I'm still curious about that power of yours, don't expect me to back down," he chuckles.

She groans and nibbles on her bottom lip. "I'm telling you my chest has nothing to do with your Sacred Rod."

"Whatever the problem might be, it's not like I'm going to do somethin' stupid. If you don't like your chest being touched, then I'll just have to wait until you say so. Though I don't really get what the big deal is."

"Girls are … a lot more sensitive in the chest, let's put it that way," she explains quiet.

"Did I hurt you when I grab them last time?" he asks worried.

"No, not like that. They can feel funny when held in a certain way."

"You're confusing me even more …"

"Don't worry about it." She smirks pointed, trying to tease him to divert the topic. "Don't ask me anymore, Natsu, because I'm not going to let you touch my chest again, you big dork."

He goes silent, her playful words unexpectedly turning something in his head. "Nah, if I don't grab your chest ever again, that's not what matters," Natsu says confident. "What I really want is to simply have you by my side."

Lucy's eyes widen and her lower lip catches as her mouth hangs slightly open. She can't think, much less breathe properly.

What kind of confession is he making? How can he casually say something like that? And why does he have to be that blunt about it? More importantly, why do his words affect her like so? Regardless of how she has come to expect her heart to soar whenever Natsu's kindness would be blessed upon her, she doesn't understand the  _why_  behind it. Her first deduction was because this something that happens because of males. But, no, that can't be it, because she feels nothing like this when around the other males of the tribe. It's only for Natsu that Lucy's legs go hollow.

She wants to answer him back. To say that she's glad to know him. That he's given her a new home that she can look forward to returning to each night. That is company brings her joy in a way no one else has ever done. She's told him before how she's happy to have him by her side, as well, but those were simple gestures of kindness, nothing profound unlike what he confessed to her moments ago in such causality.

Lucy can't answer him though. Words, sentences and explanations float through her mind but nothing can come out of her mouth, not when something holds her back.

There's a lingering 'if' in the way of things, having her simply stay where she is instead of move forward with the future. If Natsu's statement from before had changed into a question, asking her if she would stay by his side forever, Lucy wouldn't have known how to answer him. Continuing to be caught between wanting to stay here and her need to return to the Female Tribe, the only thing she can do keep silent and enjoy the moment while it lasts.

Lucy never thought she'd experience the feeling of having her heart torn in two ways lingering below that sky-high fluttering.

She nods gently and snuggles back into Natsu's heat, trying to hide the sadness that creeps into her tone. "I don't think either of us are going anywhere anytime soon." That's not a lie, since she doesn't know what to do.

He snickers lightly under his breath. "Good. I'm glad you  _want_  to stick around now."

To that, she can't say a word.

When a flash of light appears in front of Lucy's vision, she pauses in confusion and takes to looking straight ahead, past the Igny, focusing with the intent that what she saw wasn't imagined. In the harsh glow of the flickering flames, it's hard to see but she's sure that there was a faint glow that brightened and dimmed in the night.

Another flash off to her left side.

Then another to the right.

"Oh, look, the fireflies are coming out," she says surprised.

This late into the season, there are perhaps five fireflies that can be counted but it's a miracle enough to see them alone, the souls of these lost children coming out to play. Normally in the wetness of spring and in the humidity of summer they fly in abundance, populating the dark skies with their faint glow that flashes in the night. A few of them must not have gotten the message that summer is over.

Natsu snaps his hands out from under the pelt and cups them together quickly, startling Lucy from his sudden movements that snatches his hand away from hers.

"Caught it," he grins, bringing his cupped hands closer to her.

She eagerly sees the bug with its transparent wings and bulbous backside that periodically glows settle in the palm of his hands. It's not exactly beautiful up close considering it's a bug but Lucy quickly finders herself not caring about that aspect. In the faint firefly glow that dims in and out between his cupped hands, Lucy carefully watches Natsu. His amazement at such a simple creature is overwhelming, radiating to her and having the humming bird in her chest travel down to settle in her stomach, flying mad there and making one of her hands clench against a thigh. Natsu takes such joy in life—an adorable factor that makes her giggle.

His eyes widen slightly. "What?"

"Nothing. You're cute, is all."

The firefly in his hands makes no noise but moves about frantically, eventually finding its escape between the openings in his fingers. It flies back out into the sky with its other late-bloomer friends.

"They sure are pretty …" Lucy sighs content.

"Yeah, they are," he nods.

She turns away from the dancing fireflies to put her soft stare on Natsu, watching his dark eyes roam the skies to try and follow a particular firefly that repeatedly glows in the midnight air. She's seen him many times before, been by his side for a long while now, but it always makes her inner soul glow to see Natsu go into such a relaxed state. A lot of the time, his brows are lowered over his eye, having some kind of of intense need for scuffle make him constantly prepared for a fight, as if it's a natural side affect due to controlling Igny, so that makes moments like this with him that much more exciting. After those darker thoughts tried to overcome Lucy's mind moments ago, to see that contentment within Natsu is what she needs right now.

Lucy's never touched Natsu's hair before, now that she thinks about it. Is it as soft as it looks? Is that slight blush of his cheeks as hot to the touch as she thinks it would be?

"Natsu," she whispers low.

He blinks away the fireflies from his eyes an turns to her—

The strangled grunt he makes in the back of his throat tells that he wasn't expected to be kissed. His lips are rough but entirely firm against her mouth, saying that despite this moment feeling almost to have a weightlessness to it, this isn't a dream brought on by the harvest moon. Their foreheads press together, bangs of strawberry pink and pure gold melding together and tickling the skin. It's strange how Natsu's scent changed the moment she brought her nose closer to his skin, resting the tip against his cheek with the kiss. A warm and almost powerful spice clings to him, ginger ripening in the wild of the summer heat.

Lucy wanted to show him how happy she is to be with him, and if words fail then the body won't. She doesn't understand why this need to be closer to him is consuming her from the inside out this time around. The mind might try to reason—that constantly doing something this affectionate could potentially move their bond to unknown territory, scary, life-changing—but this humming within her very self couldn't be pushed away even if she wanted to.

Not feeling Natsu return the kiss, Lucy backs away unsure.

His eyes are wide like the moon and he seems to be having a hard time breathing. That's understandable considering it's a struggle to find air when mouths are occupied—that's something they need to work on. His body stiffens against her side, as Lucy unknowingly not only brought their mouths together but closed the space between their bodies, as well.

Her mouth line tightens in worry. "Um, should I not have …?"

"No!" he insists.

They both jump at his heightened voice breaking the silence of the night. The fireflies continue their swaying and the Igny before them crackles with a piece of wood splintering from the heat.

Natsu looks up to the sky. "I didn't mind it. Really."

"What? We've done that before," she reminds.

"Forget it. Warn me next time you want to kiss though."

A huff of breath rushes through Lucy's nostrils and she intently leans closer to his reddening face. He bends to the side a little to try and escape from her overbearing presence under the pelt. "Oh, what? You can kiss me at any time but I need approval first? You always do this."

"I didn't say that."

"It sounds to me like you did."

"I was only saying that kissing when you look like that is a little hard for me to keep some control," he grumbles.

"I don't understand. What I did was no different from what we've done before."

His mouth opens, fangs glistening in the glow of the Igny with his frustrations rising, but Lucy covers his mouth with hers in a fierce kiss before he can get a word out.

Defiance tramples through Lucy's blood, finding it unfair at Natsu's words when he's had no issues before initiating kisses. No longer does Igny pool in her stomach alone due to a need to be closer to him, accompanied by another need to prove something. What exactly, who knows. More than anything, Lucy hates being told what she can and can't do, especially when she doesn't see any reasoning within those boundaries.

Natsu once again doesn't react, turning into a rock under her lips as his soul and tongue are stolen away.

She locks a hand against the back of Natsu's neck, tangling her slim fingers through his hair and pulling slightly. She realizes that it is, indeed, soft like she thought. Still being unfamiliar with such personal contact with another human, she's not sure how to urge Natsu into returning the kiss. She gently bites his bottom lip, trying to provoke the predator he can be by having his flesh trapped between teeth. She can see that his eyes have lost the heat for a fight and have rather been burned into a haze, eyebrows furrowing and breath becoming ragged.

Natsu holds his position long enough that Lucy almost gives up.

A snarl rips deep from his chest and he unexpectedly drives his weight forward, capturing her lips in such vigor that it's her turn to be surprised. Her eyes widen and a gasp is swallowed by his fiery mouth. Lucy almost twitches from the harsh growl he creates, a sound she's only heard when he's in the moment of a hunt, eye dilated and body set low to the ground, nails digging into the soft ground to gain purchase. In this searing kiss she can hear a purr, content and soothing, but still gravely in its tone coming from a hunter like Natsu. Having gotten what she wanted, it's almost too overbearing, realizing that maybe she's gone over her head with arrogance.

His breath is intoxicating as it invades her body and lightly chapped lips become wet against hers. When Natsu's eyes close fully and eyelashes whisper against her burning cheek, it's a silly thing that she can't help but be enchanted by. She follows suit and closes her heavy eyes, finding it hard to keep them open when it's taking all of her strength to not become lax in his hold.

This kiss is different. All their kisses before have been sweet, a ripe apple glistening red in it's tree. This new kiss is one that drives the body to do things that blank the mind and let instinct to take over. Having such a primal part of Lucy come forth is almost frightening, losing control like this after being raised as a humble human all her life. But Natsu calls out to this foreign side of her easily, compelling it to come out and play. Should she give in and listen to its call? She's not sure, a large part of her is screaming to both stop and continue, as Lucy hadn't realize that kissing meant more than soft affections until this moment.

Natsu's told her that other animals do these things—nuzzles, licks, showing care by grooming and caring for one another, a natural reaction when a bond with a partner is born. Animal or human, it seems there's no escaping this hunger that builds in the body, silently calling for it to be satisfied. This new type of kiss, one that whispers you can never be close enough to the person you wish to share breath with, has become something beyond what either of them expected.

It's scary but, Gods, Lucy can't find herself wanting to argue about what's right and wrong. It's hard to think straight while in Natsu's arms.

The heavy kiss is almost sloppy with neither of them entirely knowing how to coordinate around each other's lips, noses bumping and teeth clacking every once in a while—something Natsu finds funny but starts to irritate Lucy, as she wants to get this right. He wraps an arm around her waist, hand firmly hugging her side and bringing her closer to his chest. She settles her weight a little more against Natsu, tightening her arms around his neck and giving a gentle tease to his rosy hair. Fingers pull and knead the scalp in a way that has Natsu moan in appreciation against her lips. The sounds he makes, groans and startled gasps, soft purrs turning into snarls, they all make Lucy ache for more of his comforting touch. Who knew Natsu could sound like that?

He doesn't let up. A few seconds after parting lips to gasp for air, he swallows Lucy's new intake of breath with his mouth, tilting his head and deepening the kiss. His callous fingers skim along her cheek, the burn of his hand having her back arch like a pacified cat stretching after a nap.

The heat under the pelt swelters, having skin sweat and stick to one another like a second pair of hands that compel them to cling harder to one another. This trapped warmth covers Lucy's body in a protective barrier that tells how in this crazy end of the world she find herself in, she'll always be accept by Natsu. The thought makes the unease in her gut at what they're doing settle down a little. She sighs into their kiss, the sound heard by Natsu who can't help but smile against her lips.

They reluctantly back away, panting for breath as lips brush, refusing to fully separate from the one they claim. Lucy's fingers brush through his soft hair, showing fondness.

"Did I hurt you?" Natsu asks uncertain.

She blinks away the fog that has clouded her mind. "No, I feel fine."

"Good." He snatches her lips once again but this kiss is profound, longer, and filled with a tenderness that breaks the heart. He tightens his hold around her waist and lifts her up, having her settle fully in his lap with her thighs on either side of his hips. "Because I like it when you make those sounds," he says husky.

She was making noise? Since when? And forget about what she sounds like! Gods, the way Natsu sounds, his voice has never bee this deep before! And she's sitting right in his lap—!

Lucy forgets about all of that when she gets lost in the heat of his mouth once again, favoring to dive back into the abyss of these kisses then to start to fidgeting in embarrassment like a coward towards the unknown. They take time to learn how to tilt the head properly, how to move the mouth in a lovely dance, when to breath between their lips catching, how to respond with hair tugging and tight holds when their dance would become almost too much to take. Natsu has such a burning in his eyes that Lucy almost can't take it, much less understand what such a look could mean. Their line of sight connects, having Lucy be unable to tear her eyes away from his depths while he nips her lower lip. The pressure of his sharp fangs is soothed away by his tongue that comes out to lick the seam of her plumped lips, the action something entirely different from what either of them have done before to one another. It's an addicting move.

Her Blessed Passage wants so badly to be attended to; it's pulsating calling to Natsu's scorching touch. This area of her body that is usually considered holy is now turning into something more sinful. No longer is a blessing but a burden, a distraction from what's happening as it continues to demand attention. Her core wants so badly to be play with. A fleeting thought passes through Lucy's mind. It shouldn't be her doings that bring her to pleasurable heights but Natsu's hands instead.

She instantly backs away from his mouth, going still in his arms from the nervous shock such a small thought brings.

Natsu doesn't take Lucy stopping the kiss as a bad sign, letting her be and startling her by dusting kisses along her throat. She thought that a kiss was only done against the mouth but with the way Natsu gives these open mouth kisses to her pulse point, there's so much more to what they're doing then she knows. Rough fingers trail down from her flushed cheek to settle against the side of her neck, his thumb tracing patterns into her skin that she wishes she could distinguish. His mouth run up from her throat to her jaw, teeth nibbling a little before coming around to steal Lucy's mouth once again. The arm Natsu has wrapped around her waist leaves to settle against her thigh, pushing aside her long pelt wrap to caress the silky skin in a way that brings goosebumps to rise. There's no need for him to pull her to his body when she stays perfectly fine where she is in his lap, pressing her chest firmly to his all the way down to the navel, sweat and warm furs trapped between them.

He must be able to notice that she isn't returning the kisses like she was before, unable to get past that intrusive thought she had concerning Natsu's hand and her Blessed Passage. He backs away and brushes his nose against Lucy's, nuzzling her cheek and slowing the moment down to linger preciously close, basking in their contact and not in their want for one another. Natsu's heartbeat runs rampant under her finger tips as she caress's the side of his neck, pushing down his scarf a little that has come loose in their play The grip he has on Lucy's thigh tells that he's trying to regain some sense in this madness.

Ah, now she understands why he didn't kiss her back at first. What he meant before, about it being hard to gain some control. Is Natsu as scared and thrilled as she is in these moments? He certainly doesn't mind what they're doing considering how eager he is. Maybe he's more aware of what's happening between them?

"It's a lot to take in," Lucy says quietly.

"It's frustrating, is what it is," Natsu says irked.

He backs away to look in her eyes and seeing this wild male that's captured her heart for the night, surrounded by fireflies, stars and the light of Igny, she realizes how suddenly she wants him, something she can't understand. Once she does get him, what are they supposed to do? All she can understand is that she wants to keep kissing and to never leave his lap. Her Blessed Passage accepts what's happening but how can they continue to be in each other's arm when they don't know what to do beyond kiss? It used to be enough to sedate their bond but it feels as if that's no longer possible, not when things keep heightening with no reason to stop in sight. What Lucy's feared has come to pass; they've taken their bond to an unknown place and can never return to what was considered passive contentment between them.

There's something funny about the way Natsu's breath shakes, face contorted almost as if he's in pain. Lucy swears there's a slight trembling in his body.

"Should I be asking if you're the one okay now?" she asks light-hearted.

He smirks for a second. "I've never felt better. Don't mind me."

"If you say."

A hard pock nudges at her inner thigh, smothering between their lower bodies. From its position and the knowledge she's gained, Lucy is no longer innocent of what it could be pressing against her, firmly attached to this male in a normally docile state. Natsu's Sacred Rod stands to attention.

And that instantly changes everything.

Lucy screams, and without any sort of thought beyond the vague notion that a Sacred Rod is something to forebode, she jerks away from Natsu's hold, legs flailing and arms swatting at his chest. Not expecting her alarm, he easily lets her go and frantically asks what's wrong, what happened. Lucy jerks out from under the pelt that gets torn off away from the both of them, wrapping her arms around herself in a hug to try and shield her body. Her panic makes Natsu panic, she can see it in his wide-eyed state of shock and the way one of his hands reaches out for her but is left hollow without anything in its reach.

"Make it go away," Lucy demands. "I didn't do anything wrong to have it come about."

Natsu quickly looks around the meadow, obviously thinking she's talking of some other animal on the prowl for their skin. When he finds nothing in the lingering shadows, he turns back to her with a mixed expression of confusion and hurt. "I don't understand. Why'd you back away?"

"What does your Sacred Rod want? We were only kissing," she says quickly.

Finally figuring out what made her skittish, Natsu lets out a large sigh and hangs his head. "That's kind of the point though," he mutters irritated.

Sluggishly picking the bear pelt back up, the nights chill doesn't affect Natsu like it does Lucy, already having goosebumps rise on her arms and a shiver clench in her belly, the chill that much worse after getting used to the fever between their bodies. He cautiously comes closer, holding the pelt up, signaling that he wants her to have it. She purses her lips but when she doesn't say anything, he drapes the pelt firmly around her, tucking the edges in and making sure no nightly chill can touch her. Lucy doesn't flee when he gets close but she can't help but lean away slightly, knowing that there's a Sacred Rod attached to him that could attack at a moment's notice.

"What does it want?" she asks hesitant once again.

"It's not alive, you know," Natsu says, raising an eyebrow. He sits back down in front of her and under his fur wrapping there's a lump that would be his Sacred Rod trying to break free of its confinements. He gives her some space but keeps within arm's reach in case she wishes to go to him.

"Then why is it awake?"

He scratches the back of his rustled hair. "It woke up because I was touching you. Especially with that type of kissing ... It's normally not this active."

"Then it must be angry from touching me," Lucy says calmer.

"Opposite actually. It's not mad but rather really happy. If it was pissed off, it'd hurt, like when the guys met you a while back. Wait, do you not hurt?"

When she doesn't get the question he elaborates, asking if her Blessed Passage hurts when it doesn't get what it wants.

She slowly shakes her head. "No, it doesn't. There's no pain."

Natsu snorts. "Count your blessing."

"How do you get your Sacred Rod to stop?"

"It'll go away on its own. It's seriously not going to hurt you. I promised I wouldn't hurt you and therefore my Sacred Rod won't, either."

Lucy brushes her bangs back from her eyes, groaning in confusion. "Let me get used to this. I don't know what to think."

Nervousness conjures in her belly for a whole slew of reasons. From what Natsu's saying, and if he's anything like her in the least when it comes to pleasure of the body, his Sacred Rod is throbbing and crying out for a peak in that pleasure right now. For Natsu, it must translate into a hard rod between his legs, though she can't really imagine what it looks like. The thought brings a new type of burning in Lucy's stomach, an area in her body she didn't know existed tightening just below her belly button. A tingling wave that passes through there makes her gasp lightly and bring a hand up to cover her mouth.

A Blessed Passages cry for pleasure can easily be hidden, tucked safely away to only be known by the woman it's matured with. Unlike her though, Natsu's arousal can never be hidden, on display for her to easily see and feel. Wait, is that why when he grabbed her chest his Sacred Rod came alive? So it really was because he grabbed her boobs that it did that?! Then what about the other males of the tribe? Were the dropping to the ground before they found Lucy so attractive that their Sacred rods did them in?!

In another sense, it's almost laughable thinking that's all his Sacred Rod could be, a translation for a males arousal. Such a thing scared off Erza, the strongest woman of Lucy's tribe and frightened off the rest of the women to the point of abandoning her. It's understandable though, considering no woman has actually seen a Sacred Rod before. Something that strange coming from an even stranger creature such as a male Lucy supposes would be enough to cause fright. Look at what it's done to her; she backed away from Natsu like this part of him was a viscous animal. If it wasn't for all the time she's spent with Natsu, even she might have run for the hills in fright.

Who should she believe? What her eyes saw in having Natsu's Sacred Rod scare off brave Erza or in Natsu's reassuring words that have never failed her before?

Natsu hesitantly brings his arm up, his every move telling how he doesn't want Lucy to be afraid of him any longer. He gently rubs her upper arm through the pelt she wears and gives a reassuring grin that sets her heart racing.

She gently lowers her hand from her mouth down to the amulet that hangs around her neck, tucked safely away under her deer hide.

Lucy doesn't have to question her uncertainties for long. Despite Natsu's dark colored eyes, they've always been much too clear to hide any sort of ulterior motive. Natsu doesn't lie, no matter what her anxiousness may have her question.

Lucy sighs harsh and grips her amulet. "I'm sorry. I shouldn't have done that."

"Nah, you're fine. I probably should have warned you it would do that," he grins.

"Um, I think you should know that when my Blessed Passage is, well, happy that it wakes up, too. Not like your Sacred Rod but it does its own thing."

"Why are you telling me this?" he asks confused.

"I don't know. I thought it was only fair that if I know about your sacred area you should know a little more about mine, especially after how I reacted. Sorry, again."

He sneaks a quick look to her lower body that hides behind the bear pelt she wears. "What does it do?"

"It pulsates, like a heartbeat."

Natsu pursues his lips in question at that, pausing to stare at her with curiosity glinting in his eyes. Before Lucy can react, Natsu quickly ducks his head and kisses her. The sudden action has her drop the grip she has on the amulet around her neck, letting it settle against her chest. Natsu's hands don't touch her and the kiss isn't nearly as heavy compared to what they were doing before, but there's a caring pressure to his lips. The softness of his mouth once again begins to blank her mind; all worries stop and all questions halt. She's going to have to be cautious in the future of the power these touches from Natsu bring about, lest she wants to be lost in this heady fog forever. He rests his foreheads against hers when they part.

"Did it have a heartbeat?" he asks hesitant.

Lucy's eyes widen hearing such a personal question. "It—yeah, it woke up a little ..."

"Good." He smiles bright, a reassuring happiness accompanied in the way he wants to laugh. "No need to be afraid of my Scared Rod if it's anything like what you have."

She can't help but lower her head a little, unable to take his heavy gaze any longer. But lowering her eyes brings them straight to that hill in his wrapping.

Ah, she understands what needs to happen. If she wishes to figure out all these crazy, new found feelings of want, desire, curiosity and so forth within herself concerning Natsu, she's going to have to let all boundaries drop. The thought of unveiling her body to Natsu is appalling, something Lucy's not quite ready for no matter how demanding her body might be. Natsu's more than willing to be naked before her, having no shame—or maybe too much confidence—in doing such a thing. It would be all in fairness to let Natsu set his curiosity on her, as he has every right to figure out what a female is physically, but she always knew from the start she couldn't do such a thing. But now if she wants to continue to experience his loving touches, pelts are going to have to slowly come away.

Lucy takes to butting her forehead against Natsu's shoulder, muffling her groan quietly into his fur. Her face burns, reaching to the tips of her ears and having her body clench at her embarrassing thoughts. Natsu chuckles and asks what's wrong this time, but Lucy quickly shakes her head to brush him off.

Before all of that though, she needs to a little more time to piece together these emotions for Natsu, better to be sure of these new experiences they're having then to potentially play with his feelings. It's one thing to examine his body out of curiosity; it's another thing to get to know his body due to the heart's desire.

"Hey, Lucy." Natsu's breath rushes against her ear, dissipating with a chill that leaves her desperate for that warmth again.

She lifts her head and whispers. "Yes?"

He smiles. "You're prettier than the fireflies."

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Authors Notes:
> 
> I am updating! I'm editing previous chapters and decided to split Harvest Moon into two parts. I felt it was much too long to fit all into one chapter.
> 
> I swear that a new chapter will come out soon. I want to get it done before Christmas 2019, I really do. Honestly at the rate things are going in my life, that's going to be challenging but I'm trying.


	9. Life-Partner

Why are males like this? Lucy wonders amused.

Natsu and Romeo jostle each other around in an open field known as "The Battle Grounds", Natsu having the upper hand due to his size and experience in battle compared to the young boy.

Located away from the Male Tribe, the Battle Grounds is an area where earth can be torn up, tree's snapped in half and foliage trampled to death without a thought in the world given. On the way here, Natsu explained to Lucy that the guys are never allowed to fight seriously within the tribe's boarders, not unless they wanted to piss of Mas Ter who hates seeing his village get destroyed senselessly.

The brawling boys are encouraged by the other males that have gathered to compete in this barbaric spectacle, fists in the air as they watch from the sidelines and holler to their hearts content. Some give practical instructions on what moves to make while others simply chant the name of the male they wish to win. Lucy doesn't understand how males can encourage one another to fight for fun. If it was for survival—to train the body and mind in being able to defend one's self against the harsh predators of the world—she would understand, but Natsu told her that's not the purpose of today. He said it was for fun and nothing more. What's fun about getting bruised, scratched to no end and getting hit in the back of the head—like what Natsu did to Romeo, effectively ending their match.

"Winner, Natsu!" Macao, Romeo's father, calls out. He goes to gather his son who sits disoriented on the ground, rubbing the back of his head and grumbling under his breath.

"Better luck next time, kid," Natsu grins.

"I am getting better," Romeo argues. "And next time you'll feel how much stronger I've gotten."

He roughly pats the boys back. "You say that every time."

"You do," Macao chuckles in agreement. "Know when to fight your battles, Romeo. It's what'll make you into a man."

"An even better man then you already are!" Elfman chimes in.

Romeo's hand drops from behind his head and slumps his shoulders, muttering a half-hearted agreement with his father.

Lucy quickly stands when Natsu approaches her at the edge of the field. She watched the battle sitting on a dry log that had fallen ages ago, cushioned with moss and little mushrooms. "Are you okay?" she asks worried.

He snorts past a grin that permanently mares his face. "The runt's been trying to beat me for ages. I'd be more concerned about him."

"You were a little harsh."

"That's what you think. I was holding back. If he'd fought against Laxus, then Romeo wouldn't be walking."

"What would the point in injuring him like that be?"

He shrugs. "Because he doesn't know his boundaries. Thinks he can take on whoever he wants and get away with it. With me … eh, we've been sparing for so long I don't mind anymore. The other guys won't stand for it though and take him down without hesitation. Besides, it's fun beating him." Natsu lightly pushes against Lucy's shoulder and puts his loose fists up in a playful matter. "We should fight sometime, too."

"No, thank you," she pointedly says.

"Aw, come on. It'd be fun."

"If you don't want to fight him, I'm up for it," Gray says, coming over to them. Bear chest but for the animal-tooth necklace resting against his collar bone, he doesn't mind the light breeze coming through and the way it pushes back his pelt wrapping, exposing more of his thighs then Lucy cares to see.

"I don't want to fight anyone," she says, turning her face away. "And make sure to keep your furs on."

"Don't worry. I've been minding that more often when you're around."

"You should have minded from the start," Natsu says bland.

"Hey, if you're looking for a fight, you got one right here," Gray says, motioning with his right hand for Natsu to charge at him.

"Fine by me, you crazy nudist," Natsu smirks. He cracks his knuckles and steps closer to Gray, getting nose to nose with him in challenge.

Lucy can only sigh and roll her eyes. It wouldn't matter if she said something, which she's tried before; these males will fight one another with the simplest of excuses.

"Move aside, Icicle."

Gajeel's deep voice cuts through their friendly rivalry with ease, his powerful presence not one to be ignored. He towers above the boys with a tight smirk showing off his predator-like teeth, tan skin marked with deep battle scars and bits of metal. The boy's part to focus with elation on the bigger challenger at hand.

Gajeel has always been a confusing male to Lucy. He seems to mean no harm, that tough exterior of his more for the looks then for the attitude most of the time. He's never been hostile towards her, rather giving curious looks and an almost disinterested air that Lucy knows he hides behind to misdirect the other men, not wanting to show any sort of emotional vulnerability. Usually she doesn't mind being around him, as he keeps to himself and isn't as handsy as some of the other males are, but that cold, metal exterior he has doesn't allow Lucy to feel entirely comfortable around him either.

Lately, she's noticed Gajeel doesn't want to approach her. She's given him polite smiles whenever she would see him around the village, yet she's been met with nothing but harsh stares, perhaps a small nod if she's lucky. He's been watching her silently, those piercing eyes telling that he doesn't like what he sees within her. Yet he acts normal around the other males, the cloud lifting from his mind and letting him talk with his village mates at no expense. Well, that is if the male he's talking to feels comfortable around him. Some of the smaller males are a little skittish around such a brutish looking boy.

After observing this behavior continuing from Gajeel every time she would come into the village, Lucy made up her mind; he's grown some sort of resentment against her but for what reason she doesn't understand. She's debated about asking him what it could be but the intensity radiating off of him like a fine mist has kept her away all this time. It's hard to get near a guy that looks like he wants to kill you at any moment.

That's why it's surprising when Gajeel gets near Lucy. Natsu and Gray might be nearby and thrilled for a fight to begin but lately that hasn't been enough of a reason for Gajeel get this close to her. And without giving so much as a contempt glare at her either. In fact, he looks down to her with sharp eyes but nothing that says he's about to cut her in half with those metal studs in his body. There's nothing Lucy can do but stand near her log awkwardly, cupping her hands together.

Gajeel crosses his thick arms tightly. "I'll be the one to take on Natsu. Gray, go find a thicker pelt for now. It's been a while and I'm itching for a throw down, especially thanks to little Bunny Girl here."

Bunny Girl? Where'd that come from? And what'd I do to make him to warrant a fight? she thinks befuddled.

He puts his large hand on top of her head, effectively startling her at his touch. This is the first time he's actually put his hand on her and it's in a way to add emphasis to his words. It lights an Igny in her gut, hating that she's being used as a sudden excuse by this boy who didn't care much for her before, and all for a useless fight.

Natsu turns to Lucy curiously, seeing nothing wrong with Gajeel's fierce behavior. "You do somethin' to him?" he asks.

She quickly shakes her head to get Gajee's hand off of her and backs away, giving a large sigh. "I'm not sure what he's talking about."

"She ain't the one I want to fight. Didn't you hear me?" Gajeel sneers.

Natsu comments impatiently that maybe he should make himself a little clearer with his words.

"Shut that trap of yours before I clamp it shut with my Metalicana," he snaps. "Bunny Girl started all of this bullshit with you and I'm not about to stand by it anymore."

Finally hearing the edge of malice whispering in his voice for what it truly is, Natsu quickly side steps the boys and comes around to stand in front of Lucy, creating a wall between her and Gajeel. "You got a problem with Lucy?" he asks intently.

"Back off. I'm not about to hurt the thing. She looks like she has the arms of a cattail, anyway."

Between that ridiculous nickname Gajeel somehow came up with, his strange mannerism towards her and being insulted about her strength, a fragile subject to Lucy, as she knows she's not that strong compared to many, she about snaps. She wants to get in Gajeels face and yell that she isn't afraid of him, that she's willing to cut away his Sacred Rod along with his tongue at any time. She can feel the urge in her legs to turn those thoughts into actions but she also isn't naïve of her own abilities. Gajeel would be able to crush her flat to the ground before she could blink and while she's stood up to more threatening foes, if she can avoid a fight it would be better.

Frustrated with her need to show that she isn't weak but also knowing her ground, Lucy can do nothing but glare at the idiotic male and say in snippety tone. "And a cattail still has enough force to jab you in the gut if it wanted to, so quit with your jabbering."

"But that cattail is full of fluff and nothing more—weak!" Gajeel retaliates harshly.

"Shut up!" Natsu growls annoyed. "You might not want to fight her but don't go threatening Lucy, either."

"I can do what I want! ... But I'm also no fool. You're the one that's been stupid, thanks to her, and I'm going to knock some sense into you right now for it."

"I like being around Lucy—there ain't nothin' wrong with that."

"But it's an insult to go and forget about us!" he hollers, pointing an accusing finger.

Natsu's anger halts due to confusion. "Forget about you? How could I forget you guys? I'm around everyone all the time! Now you're the one talking like crazy, Metal Head."

"Not if he's right," Gray mutters. It's a statement that sounded as if it was meant to be kept to himself but was whispered too pointedly to be anything but a sly remark.

"If you guys have something against me, talk to me about it. Don't take it out on Natsu when hasn't done anything wrong. Besides that, you can't dictate how he acts," Lucy says loudly, trying to verbally push in-between these males overbearing need for a fight to break out.

"Nobody blames you for the influences you bring, Lucy," Gray says. "It's not like you can help being different from us. Believe me, it's nice having you around, but ... um, Natsu's just been stupider than normal since you came around."

Before Natsu can snap at Gray, Gajeel interjects pointedly.

"True, the runt can do what he wants, but that don't mean I have to like it," he says, bending at the waist to try and intimidate Lucy at eyelevel around Natsu's shoulders. Natsu's been much too distant lastly, Gajeel says. That's all thanks to Lucy, always hovering around the female and dedicating all his time to her like she's some precious jewel. The other guys have become worthless to Natsu ever since she came along, Gajeel accuses, putting her before the tribe. It's an aspect that insults Gajeel to no end.

"Speak for yourself!" someone within the crowd calls out. From the tone, it was most likely Warren.

"Shut it! If ya'll are going to be wimps about the truth, that doesn't mean I have to follow suit. I'm not standing for this any longer!"

From what Lucy has noticed, it's true that Natsu doesn't go to the Male Tribe for very long, perhaps not as long as he used to from what Gajeel is saying. In the beginning, Natsu would leave when need be but would always return in a hurry, making sure that Lucy was never alone for long. It was comforting to know that he worried for her safety, especially when Lucy was still scared of the other males coming near at the time. It was also most likely because she was still making advent escapes attempt when he wasn't looking that compelled him to come home quickly. Once she started going to the village, Natsu's time in the tribe extended, no longer afraid to have Lucy be on her own for long periods and trusting that she would be alright.

Every time she would be in the tribe with Natsu, he would break out in bright smiles upon seeing his friends and would happily catch up with what they've been doing. No one else seemed to take offence from his absence, more so she's heard teasing from them that Natsu tries to brush off. Besides, most of the males take more interest in herdue to being a different kind of human from them. Most of the males probably understand Natsu's change in attitude, as taking in a new family member is never as easy as it seems. He can't entertain his friends like he used to and most of the males have never put up a fuss about it.

Apparently, it was a slow burning resentment for Gajeel. Even to Gray, it was something to get agitated about in secrecy.

Lucy groans and she can't help but swipe her hand across her upper lip. "Don't go picking fights because you're jealous!"

"I ain't jealous!" Gajeel hollers. "I'm tellin' you, Natsu deserves to have his ass kicked for thinking less of his fellow men!"

Natsu squares his shoulders. "I don't care what your reasoning is. If you want a fight, that's fine by me."

Before Lucy can try and quell his unneeded anger, Gajeel stomps his right foot down as he steps forward. His scarred fists clench and the amount of excitement he has in wanting for this fight to begin shows in his toothy grin and piercing, knife-like stare. He's got eyes black as tar, worse than Natsu's in a way that's dangerous and says he'll strike for the throat at first chance. "Bring it on. I'll wipe you to ground," he threatens, a harsher snarl in his tone coming out. He jerks to the side, stepping out to the middle of the Battle Grounds to prepare for the fight.

Lucy brushes her bangs back and gives in with a sigh—no matter what she says it won't change a thing. She lightly pats Natsu's tense back, laying her forehead softly between his shoulder blades. She can feel the Igny in him burning up through his pelt, intensifying his body heat. "Don't hurt each other too much," she murmurs.

He says quietly. "Sorry, I can't promise that. After hearing him out … I kind of feel like I own Gajeel a little, if you know what I mean."

She smiles soft. "Not really, but do what you feel is right."

Despite his anger at Gajeel's challenge for all the wrong reasons, Lucy can tell that Natsu's going to enjoy this fight from the slight hint of glee that resided deep down in his voice. He's told her before that in a fight for life and death, no pleasure can be found in such sadness, but sparing against other males like this is something Natsu relishes. To see who is stronger, to find out if he can truly honor this title of Brave he's gained, excites him to no end.

The other males, being aware of the seriousness in this fight, as it was impossible to not overhear their shouting in the open field, call from the sidelines. Lucy can hear Bixlow above everyone else, his big mouth telling Gajeel to not hold back. Max is the closest male to her and calls out his amusement, saying that he's betting on Natsu to win. Some of them bring out scraps of food or arrow heads in exchange for their bets, Max putting up against Warren who bets on Gajeel. Lucy can only sigh at their uncaring behavior towards their two fighting friends.

Natsu and Gajeel face off in the center of the field, sizing one another up and building tension that mists the air from their magic invisibly swirling about in the air. Gajeel is a lot bigger than Natsu, both in height and weight, this rival male standing half-a-head taller with long, black hair down to his waist and barbs of metalicana pushed through his skin. It's such an odd and horrifying thing to look at, having Lucy imagine the amount of pain he went through to keep those little metal studs in his body, running along his nose and eyebrows, decorating his knuckles and other places on his body that she can't see beyond his furs. There's a sharp edge radiating from every aspect of him that admitting makes Lucy a little nervous for Natsu's well-being.

"Gajeel!" Lucy calls calmly. When he turns his grimace on her, she refuses to move an inch. "I'm sorry for any pain I've caused you!"

His eyes widen in surprise but that look quickly dissolves into a hard sneer of disgust. He tears his eyes away from the female back to Natsu. It might be Lucy imagination, but she swears he blushes a little.

Natsu shows no hindrance from his foreboding opponent, standing tall with his arms resting easily by his sides, but his hands clench to the point of white knuckles. He doesn't lift his lips to show sharp canines, no sneer of intimation nor any other sign that he's ready to fight. He simply gives a slat-clean look of building anger, a honed sharpness in his eyes that lock onto Gajeel.

That look tells Lucy that maybe he isn't doing this entirely for the reasons she thought of. Sure, it's always exhilarating to spare against strong opponents, the thrill of a bond formed between blood and bruises, but Gajeel's threatening words towards her must have gotten to Natsu more than she would have thought possible. Lucy's seen him get serious like this every once in a while. It's a look that makes it hard to approach him when it seems as if he'll lash out at anything that disturbs him. He'd never harm her, Lucy's sure of that, but that type of expression is there for a reason. He's not messing around. This challenge is as much a battle of dominance as it is a warning, to tell Gajeel that his attitude towards Lucy, even if not directed right at her but instead used as an excuse for this fight, won't be tolerated by Natsu.

She drops to sit back down on the log with clammy hands, rubbing them together and pressing her thighs tightly together.

"Yeah! Show him who's the real manly Brave of this tribe, Natsu!" Elfman cries, his large fist pumping in the air.

Lucy softly taps a finger against Elfman's side to get his attention. "Do you think Natsu's been acting weird since I came around?"

He crosses his robust arms and turns his eyes up to the sky in thought. "He was always a man's man, so that hasn't changed much."

"I think Natsu's gotten a little crazy," Max says, sitting down beside Lucy. "I've never seen him get protective over someone like he does with you. For little Happy, sure, but for another guy? Never in my life."

"She's not a guy," Elfman reminds.

"Oh, right, sorry. Anyway, you seem to bring out a softer side of Natsu."

The fight between the two stubborn males has begun. Gajeel gives the first strike, his arm reach longer then his opponents and allowing him to hit Natsu in the cheek hard enough to send him flying back. Seeing such a hard punch has Lucy's stomach flip, used to the happy tussling of play fights and not the all-out aggressiveness that can be shown from a male. Her eyes never stray from Natsu, watching how he catches himself by rolling back and skidding to a halt where the grass has been irreversibly ripped away to reveal the hard dirt below. Not one to be taken down by a single punch, Natsu easily prepares his stance as Gajeel charges forward and brings out the Igny within him, setting both of his fists alight.

"I was waiting for these two lug-heads to fight," Mas Ter says. Lucy's jumps hearing his craggily voice coming out of nowhere, the village leader standing behind the log between her and Max. "Sorry, my girl, I didn't mean to startle you. I was only admiring the view for a little."

She smacks his hand away before he can appreciatively pat her pelt covered rump. His paper-like skin doesn't hold up well against her harsh swat,the left-over sting having him quickly wave his hand to try and relieve the pain.

"Keep your hands to yourself, old man, and I might let you explain what you said," Lucy says irritated, turning her eyes back to the fight.

Natsu has gotten the upper hand and swipes Gajeel's feet out from under him, sending him crashing to the ground flat on his back. Natsu hauls his arm back as far as it will go and brings it down with a punch to the middle of Gajeel's chest, the force behind it like a raging animal, knocking the wind out of Gajeel and re-starting his heart. The amount of pressure applied from Natsu's hit shatters the ground below Gajeel, ripping up the dirt and grass in small rivets and having the earth shake.

"Forgive me. I couldn't help myself. Last I saw a female was many moons ago," MasTer snickers. "But it's good for these two boys to get their energy out before it turned deadly. Gajeel has been in a foul mood as of lately and I was getting tired of his pouting."

"He's jealous," Lucy states.

"That he is, though he won't admit it. Gray, too, but he's much too kind to voice his opinions about the changes you've brought."

"I didn't mean to—"

"You have nothing to fret over. Gray doesn't see you as a burden, his words before true, and he feels he can't control Natsu's life either, otherwise he would have said something earlier. He might not like Natsu distancing himself, even a little, from the tribe, but he if it's what Natsu wants to do, Gray will let him do as he pleases."

"Gajeel doesn't seem to have the same attitude."

"Of course not," Mas Ter sighs irked. "That boy's mouth doesn't know how to close thanks to the way he was brought up. He's been through a lot in life before coming here. Originally, he destroyed the village to nothing but scraps because he was on the hunt for another female."

Her eyebrows furrow. "He knew about us?"

"Not really. He was hired to look for a female in this village by another male tribe that has long since disbanded. He came here on a deadly mission but didn't know what he was looking for, that idiot. In the end, we beat him and his old tribe back for what they did. All that fuss for something we didn't have …" He scratches at his gray beard and gives a soft sigh. "A bitter tribe like that wasn't for Gajeel and I invited him back to our tribe as a member, granted that he would help rebuild it better than before."

"I'm surprised you would trust him …"

"He's got the body of an ox, my girl, but the heart of a damn gopher. I could see that he was lonely, was all. He's been good to us ever since, and it looks like he's come to really value his fellow tribe members if he's acting like this."

Gajeel tackles Natsu, wrapping his scar covered arms around Natsu's middle to try and smash him into a thick tree not far behind him. Natsu claws into Gajeel's back, finding some leverage for his top half while the souls of his feet dig into the ground. Even from a distance, Lucy can see how Natsu mashes his teeth to the point they may break in his struggle. The two have a standoff, physical strength against physical strength, and try to outweigh one another.

The building intensity of the fight has Max snap to a stand, stepping a few feet into the Battle Grounds to shout his encouragement for Natsu. Elfman joins at this side, as do the rest of the men who get fully absorbed into the fight, trying to get closer to this exciting spectacle. Their loud roars and cheering almost drown out Lucy's own thoughts. With the men thoroughly enjoying the fight, it leaves Lucy at a slight disadvantage, finding it hard to see around these tall, bulky bodies. Not wanting to ignore this battle, as Natsu is fighting for her sake and she needs to cheer him on with all she's got, Lucy stands and is about to circle around the other men but is stopped in her traps when a large, wrinkle hand whirls around in front of her.

Stopped by Mas Ter's magic, the old man winks and a gives a grin that tells of something mischievous within his thoughts. "Sit down, Lucy. There's something I'd like to discuss with you."

She hesitates, seeing between two men how Natsu chases after Gajeel. "But …"

"Don't worry. It's something you'll be interested to hear. These men have their ears blocked by the sound of blood roaring in their ears from the fight, so they won't bother us." He shrinks his hand back down to its normal size and puts his arms behind his back to hold them there in each hand.

It isn't wise to ignore a tribe leader, knowing that if Grand Dini asked her to sit down for a talk, Lucy wouldn't object to it in the slightest. Feeling obligated to cheer Natsu on though, she quickly shouts as loud as she can over the crowd words of encouragement, almost feeling as if she could lose her voice from her throat tightening down. Lucy catches Natsu eyes through the crowd, his pupils dilated to remind her of the dragon he was raised by and his sensitive hearing easily recognizes her voice over everything else's. He has enough time to give her a quick nod before going back to focusing on Gajeel.

Lucy and Mas Ter to linger towards the back of the crowd, keep mostly to themselves. With how short the tribe leader is, she takes to sitting back down on the log to keep within ear reach.

"Gajeel wouldn't be acting like this if he didn't find the bond he has with the tribe important," Mas Ter tells. "Now that one of his friends is being jeopardized away from the heart of the tribe, he's lashing out like a child."

"He could have simply talked to Natsu," she sighs.

"These two kids talk it out? More likely chance of hell breaking open under my feet. Don't think on it, though. One idiot isn't something for you to worry over. You've done nothing to Natsu but change him for the better. Who cares if he's not around the village like before? Humans can't stay small forever. We have to learn to fly."

She hesitates, slowly rubbing her hands against her thighs. "What do you see different about him?" she asks tentative.

"I can't really explain it. More simply put, I'd say he's found a potential mate and that's what's makes him seem different to the others."

"I'm sorry I've never heard that word before. What does 'mate' mean?"

"A life-partner."

Lucy stiffens, knowing exactly what that word means. Her heart clenches in its beats while simultaneously her gut drops, the sensation catching her breath in a hiccup.

When she was little, Lucy heard her first share of stories among the women about what it meant to find a life-partner, someone that is cherish in a way completely different from friends or family. There were tales woven of Goddesses meeting Gods and being showered in gifts, of spirits among women encasing their life-partners in golden light. It was an aspect that was fantasized like nothing ever before by young Lucy—a simple wish, a heart-felt desire. As time went on, those fantasies dropped from the forefront her mind but remained locked somewhere deep away, constantly trying to push themselves back into the light of her mind. Erza and the others would call Lucy a 'romantic', a word to describe someone who longs for more than what a family can give and, in a way, they were right. The thought of holding such strong love for someone else always fills Lucy with a longing for it to happen.

But she never let it full consume her. While the thought is nice, there couldn't possibly be that much of a difference between a life-partner and the other people that were already important in her life … could there be? A life-partner is described as accepting a different type of love, one that goes beyond family bonds. So unique in itself that a rare gemstone couldn't compare to it.

Lucy clutches the red and gold amulet around her neck.

She's never thought of these wants, these needs, towards Natsu as love, but Mas Ter's words strike something at the heart. Hearing these words told by an outside perspective, someone that can easily see what her and Natsu's relationship is without the interference of personal feelings, sounds almost unreal. To have a true potential life partner as an adult woman, not as some fantasy in her imagination or as a story told by other women, feels too much to comprehend. Lucy doesn't know what to focus on anymore, Natsu fighting with everything he's got or on Mas Ter's life changing words.

She's acknowledged her attraction towards Natsu for a while now. She was unconsciously drawn to him when he would give a particular grin that would show off his canines, something about the look so soft and yet so cunning, a confidence behind it. It developed into wanting to share meals with Natsu at every chance, to be tucked in next to him at night, to share the heat he creates and to have him talk just to hear his voice. But that voice also reveals the personal things that make Natsu who he is, personality and strength that have twisted Lucy's will around his pinky finger.

This attraction towards Natsu, is that an aspect that comes with finding a life-partner? Or rather a mate, as Mas Ter put it. The word he uses somehow feels much more personal, the thought of it making Lucy want to down a cup of water from her tongue sticking to the roof of her mouth. What comes first? Love or attraction? Are they intertwined or deceiving one another? Is it okay to be attracted to a male when she's never felt like this with any female?

"Someone to share your entire existence with," Mas Ter goes on, embarrassing Lucy to hear these things. "To see one another for which you truly are, to get along with your likes, dislikes and understand one another through thick and thin. You'd do anything to keep one another safe and healthy."

She solemnly lowers her eyes and tries to ignore the burning in her face. "Natsu's told me we're family," she says quietly.

"It goes beyond that, my girl. I may be old but I'm not blind. That new pelt you're wearing, Natsu gives you a gift that means much more than any simple trinket for trade. He provides for you in every way he can. When you're sad, he comforts you and when your happy, he lights up. I've seen it happen on his face so often that it makes me want to laugh. I'm assuming he has enough sense to not have puffed up his feathers and danced for you, at least," he chuckles.

Lucy can't find the right words to answer something that serial sounding. She does wish the best for Natsu, to always have him smile and to never have the harshness of life dampen his spirits. She wants to see him thrive. But wouldn't she wish that upon anyone she cared for? What is Natsu to her?

Mas Ter shrugs easily as if he can read Lucy's mind and smiles amused. "Natsu's learning how to deal with all of this suddenly, too. He may not even know what's happening with him. That boy has the mind of a sparrow for all we know, poor thing, but he knows what he wants and he won't hesitate to go after it."

She stares ahead in thought, watching through clouded vision the backs of the male crowd squirm in contained eagerness.

Mas Ter's eyes linger quizzically on her. "Do you wish to have the remainder of your life spent beside Natsu?"

"... I don't know," she admits quietly, letting go of her necklace.

"Give it time. You'll sort out your feelings."

"I wish they would sort out now. It's all too confusing."

"Love always is."

She holds her breath and pinches her eyebrows hard. Should she ask this? It's embarrassing enough to die from but at the rate things are going she's never going to get answers by herself. Stealing her nerve and working past the way her face wants to burn to ash with its harsh blush, Lucy fiddles with her thumbs and forces her words out. "Does finding a … mate—no, a life-partner make you want to get close to them … physically?"

"Oh, yeah!" Mas Ter laughs, patting her butt once again. He stops before he can earn himself another smack. "I'm guessing that means you find Natsu's attractive."

She stiffens. "I-I didn't say that."

"Don't need to. Now, I'm also guessing you've gotten a little  _close_ to him, haven't you? Good on you! I could use that kind of interaction again with a nice, young girl, especially in my old age."

"None of the women I know are going to want to get near you if you keep talking like that," she scoffs.

"If you ever have any trouble with him, I could always give you some advice."

She pushes her face into the palm of her hands and groans. "Ah, forget it!"

There is no way in the Gates of Hell can she properly ask the Male Tribe leader what their attraction towards one another means! She'll figure this out on her own. That's all there is to it.

Mas Ter laughs from Lucy's shyness burning to the tips of her ears.

A cry of frustration from Natsu has Lucy head snap up.

What is she doing talking about a topic like this now of all times? She should be focusing on the fight and rooting for Natsu as much as she can. Not pouting in frustration from her own confusing emotions.

"Thank you for your time, Mas Ter," Lucy dismisses, getting up.

"If you have any more trouble, my girl, don't be afraid to drop by," he smirks.

Happy to get away from Mas Ter's embarrassing topic, Lucy jogs around the large group of men to watch Natsu's fight. The crowd forms a semicircle around the Battle Grounds to make sure everyone can see what's happening and it isn't until Lucy gets to the edge of the spaced-out crowd that she's able to get a full view of the fight herself. Suddenly, there's a flash of hot red and white that blinds her, intuition kicking into tell her that Natsu's flames are stronger than ever.

Natsu plants his feet into the ground and reels his arm back, the fist glowing with a powerful heat of Igny behind it. He gives a harsh punch to Gajeel's stomach, having the male buckle and get thrown back from the force. Gajeel slides across the slick grass and comes to a heap on the other side of the field, closer to Lucy then any of the other people here. The Igny that powers Natsu's body has come out in rapid remorse, burning through Gajeel's pelt and touching the skin underneath in a searing mess that makes the large male shout the pain away. He jerks his battered body up despite those howls, holding his injured stomach and panting for breath. From the sound, something's wrong with his airway, wheezing out of his mouth like it is. He must have gotten hit in the throat when Lucy wasn't looking.

"That's not fair!" Gajeel roars hoarse. He's got a gash on his right cheek, spilling blood down his neck and another burn mark sears his skin black on his right arm.

Natsu smirks like the devil, holding up his glowing Igny hand in threat. "What's the matter? Can't take the heat? If you don't like it, then give up. I'll only hit you a little more afterwards." He's not much better looking, having a gash in his right arm that runs with blood down to the finger tips. The appendage is limp, obviously causing him severe pain if he moves it. He's banged up with a bleeding forehead and across his stomach are scratch marks covered in dirt. It's almost horrifying for Lucy to see that. She didn't think this match meant that much to Natsu in order to become like that.

"Fuck off with that shit! If I had my Metalicana with me, you'd be feeling my wrath."

"Ha! You're saying that because you're scared!"

Lucy cups her burning cheeks in hand and lowers her head in shame, muttering to herself. "I think he has a brain more like a mocking bird, Mas Ter."

"I ain't afraid of no jackass! Since when could you do some shit like that, huh? Has Bunny Girl over there been giving you a boast of power? You touched those huge mound things on her chest before and your Sacred Rod scared away the other females—she's got to be able to give you some sort of power. Why should you be the one to hog that? Why not share the girl?" Gajeel asks.

Lucy's overall embarrassment between her conversation with Mas Ter and Natsu's childish smack-talk gets blow away, replaced by anger at the Gajeel's stupid words. She places a hand over her heart and hisses "I'm not some prize nor am I an animal for you two to fight over!"

"Oh, you want in on this, too?" Gajeel snaps, turning to look over his shoulder at her.

Natsu quickly runs to come around and stand in Gajeel's way. Lucy is well out of range of their fight but Natsu blocks his path as if she's right at his back, protecting her. "I'm the one you want, stupid! Stay away from her!"

"Calm down, Natsu. Gajeel can't really mean to harm Lucy," Gray says surprised.

"You males can be so—so dumb!" Lucy groans irritated.

Gajeel cracks his knuckles loudly along with the bones in his neck, that smirk on his face saying he's forgetting about his pain and is letting the adrenaline in his body take over. "He's right, I won't hurt her. I was only teasing the weak thing. What I want to do is kick your ass even harder for what you're doin', hoggin' the power she's got."

"She has no power to give neither you nor anyone else. She's just Lucy. You don't have to like her being a part of my family but that doesn't mean you can go and do this shit. I suggest you get over it!" Natsu yells.

"That's enough, you dogs!" Mas Ter spits sternly. His voice rings clearly through the open air, a command to it that will not be challenged. The crowd parts to let him come forward, and despite being shortest male in his old age, he exhumes enough power and respect that Gajeel doesn't utter a word against him. "This fight is over. Gajeel, if you continue to have that kind of intention towards Lucy, I won't hesitate to reprimand you for it. She's a good girl and doesn't deserve any hostility."

The rough male snorts. "Yeah, whatever. I call this match my win."

"The hell did you say?!" Natsu stomps forward to get closer to Gajeel. "This isn't over yet. No way! I'm going to be the one too—!"

The simple insult from Gajeel sets off a mixture of overconfidence and pride within Natsu, setting him to be blind. That's why he doesn't see the sudden fist that comes flying at his face until it's too late.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I live!
> 
> Happy New Year 2020. The Chinese Zodiac starts all over again with the year of the rat up first.
> 
> Please, leave a kudo's and a review to tell me what you guys think of the chapter! Thanks a lot!


	10. Unaware Courting

“Stop your squirming, Natsu! I can’t help if you don’t hold still,” Lucy demands, sitting back in the nest.

“I can’t stand that stuff,” he grimaces.

She soaked a wool cloth in putrid smelling herbs, the stench strong enough that it makes the bridge of Natsu’s nose crinkle. It’s an easy herb to nibble on when left intake but stings like a bitch when mashed up and applied to wounds. Supposedly the herbs will help make sure no sickness comes to him through his open wounds, but Natsu’s never been sick a day in his life.

He doesn’t understand why Lucy insists on cleaning his wounds with fresh water and a clean cloth, since he’s never taken care of his old wounds like this before. After making sure there was no dirt left in the open gashes, Lucy has caringly put bandages on the cuts that adorn his body. One sits along his forehead that is now patched with healing herbs and a large dressing of cotton that’s wrapped around his head. The worst one is on his upper right arm, cut deeper than the other areas on his body and drawing Lucy’s immediate attention when she began healing him. When he tries moving the arm, it feels as if there’s a sharp thudding underneath the skin, pulsating with pain that rings from the cut down to the tips of his fingers that twitch uncontrollably. Lucy puts another layer of herbs against the cut to his arm, letting it harden to create a seal around the opening in the flesh.

“I’ll put the dressing on your arm once the herbs are done drying. I don’t want to herbs to stick to the wrapping, otherwise it’s going to hurt coming off,” she explains.

“Alright, alright …” Natsu grumbles.

He doesn’t mean to sound ungrateful towards Lucy but he can’t help it. He tightly grips a heel with his good hand and sits in their nest, stewing in frustration. That son of a bitch, Gajeel! He should have given the final blow to the metal head while he had the chance.

Except for the annual Brave Championships—where they compete to see who gets to keep the title of Brave—Natsu has never battled another male as serious as he did with Gajeel. The moment Gajeel implied a threat towards Lucy, it set off a coiled ball in Natsu’s gut that imploded. It didn’t matter who Gajeel was nor his true reasoning behind the fight—Natsu wasn’t about to let Lucy be harmed. Lucy herself didn’t seem to mind in the least Gajeel’s threats, an aspect that made Natsu proud of his female, able to stand with her chin held high against the bulky males' threats. But even if she didn’t mind, he immensely did.

It was also his guilt that had him step into the fight. To Gajeel, having most of Natsu’s time focus on Lucy, making sure that she’s living a happy, healthy life, has obviously made him feel betrayed. And for Gray, too, a little bit—how the fuck did that happen? Natsu never once felt as if he was neglecting the tribe, his bond with everyone much too strong to have him think even for a moment that he was purposely distancing himself. None of the other guys have spoken a word of such devastation, most of the males being smart enough to realize that just because he doesn't interact with them like before doesn’t mean he’s forgotten them. No one has given contempt glances or cold shoulders, being their usual selves and happily teasing him about Lucy being in his family. That’s why Natsu doesn’t get how Gajeel can think he’s abandoning the tribe—! He’d protect this place with his life on the line; something that bastard doesn't seem to understand.

The battle against Gajeel became a sort of apologetic fist-fight, accompanied by a need to protect his female. Overall, the weirdest fight Natsu’s gotten into.

It still sucks Gajeel got the last punch. He didn’t lose—screw that!

Natsu groans loudly. “I’ll get him next time. I’m not about to wait around for him to gloat over his false victory! Fuck no. He’d better watch out.”

“If you're thinking that you lost the title of Brave, you didn’t. Mas Ter told me,” Lucy reassures.

“I don’t care about that. I mean, okay, maybe a little, but that’s not the point—” Seeing her reach out the herb-soaked cloth, he tries to frantically lean away but is kept in place thanks to her holding his ear, pinching the delicate lope with the tips of her nails. “Quit that! I hate that smelly stuff,” he whines, stiffening his muscles as they sing with pain from rubbing the herbs against his stomach wounds.

“I know you have a sensitive nose but it’ll be worth it. Wendy always told me this is something that needs to be done to heal the wounds properly and I’m not about to forsake her advice,” she says.

He cracks an eye open, the other one squeezing tightly closed. “Seems to me she wants to make others suffer a little more. They’re only scratches, ain’t nothing that won’t heal.”

“Hearing that, I somehow get the feeling women live a lot longer …”

Natsu can let himself breathe again when she takes the cloth away and releases his heated ear. She lets the wounds soak in the fresh air and slowly have the stinging fade away. Three long cuts run from the upper right of his abdomen to the lower left of his hip, becoming a glowing red that stands out against the copper of his skin. Those metal bits on Gajeel aren't for show, having gotten Natsu on more than one occasion with their sharp edges digging into him.

Lucy’s been lost in thought throughout most of this. Natsu is able to tell, as her usually exuberant eyes have fogged over, a curtain of mist that dulls their colors, and she randomly stares at nothing in particular while images, words and thoughts jump around in her head. Also, unbeknownst to Lucy, she sometimes bites her bottom lip, chewing the flesh a little in a worrying sort of way. That’s how Natsu knows she’s _really_ over thinking somethin’. As of now, it’s what she does. Her teeth bite softly at her bottom lip, letting it go in intervals as if she’s aware of what she’s doing and she’s doesn’t want to make a habit out of it, although it’s too late for that. The little movement distracts Natsu until she holds up a dressing for him to see.

“Hold still, please. This is a going to hurt a little, but after this you should be feeling a lot better.”

He gives one hard chuckle. “Relax, Lucy. You can’t hurt me.”

“Take a deep breath and then it’ll be over.” She steadily takes in her own breath as if to give an example and begins to wrap the large, white piece of cotton around his torso to cover his abdominal cut.

“Dammit,” he mutters in a hiss.

He grits his teeth and holds his position—leaning back on his good arm to allow Lucy better access to the wounds—with every muscle in his body tightening up. She gently pats the wrapping over the wounds, her fingers delicate as they smooth the edges of the dressing against his skin. Her touch is trying to be like air; floating to not cause him anymore pain then need be to help him. Not much that will do though, considering the cuts sting like a demon biting the skin.

Having Lucy take care of him is different compared to if one of his friends was helping. They wouldn’t be considerate of his pain, wrapping the bandages as if he couldn’t feel any pain at all—Natsu thinks it’s a form of payback, as normally if he got hurt it was because he was doing something stupid. He’s never had someone focus intently on the way the bandages were wrapped, the way the wounds were healing nor on his state of cleanliness, least of all.

He’s beaten up and aching but with Lucy at his side, Natsu feels entirely alive, mind sharp and a warm hum running through his body. He was only half-serious about getting to Gajeel before he can run his mouth, because being here is much more comfortable. In a sense, Natsu feels as if he’s escaped from the jaws of death to crawl back into the awaiting arms of the Gods. Not that Gajeel was a danger to his life but more so that Lucy is a glowing spirit, someone that relaxes and flares Natsu’s soul at the same time.

Who the hell cares if he’s spending more time with Lucy then with the guys? She makes him happy, that’s what matters.

“Let me do one last thing,” Lucy says thoughtful. She applies the dressing to his upper left arm; the already dried herbs underneath having his arm stiffen like a piece of drift wood. She ties the ends to secure the wrapping in place. “There, all done,” she nods.

“Good. Thanks for that, Lucy,” Natsu grins.

She puts away the clay bowl filled with mashed herbs inside the ice-box, storing them for next time. She says that his wounds will need to be dressed with new wraps and a fresh coat of sickening herbs every setting and rising Igny—which sounds like overkill to Natsu. Lucy washes her hands in the smallest water jug, silently kneeling before it long enough that she arouses Natsu’s curiosity. She blankly stares at her hands that slowly rub together with water, the action being done out of habit rather than need to get any gunk off, and she gently nibbles on her bottom lip.

“What’s on your mind?” he asks.

She flicks her hands to whip away any excess water. “Sorry. It’s only … I talked to Mas Ter while you were fighting.”

His eyes narrow. “Let me guess. The geezer did something stupid towards you.”

“Yes and no.”

“I told him to keep his hands away from you. Guess I’ll have to remind him again next I see him.”

 She slowly goes to sit next to him. “He could be better but he wasn’t that bad. We talked about the reasoning for Gajeel’s attitude.”

“He’s got a reason other than being stupid?”

Lucy gives one hard chuckle. “Yes. Overall, Gajeel was jealous.”

Natsu tilts his head to the side. “Of what? You?”

“Not exactly because of me but … I guess, yeah, me.”

“I don’t get it.” 

“Talk to Mas Ter, he can explain it better.” She continues on with a more bashful tone and look. “We also talked about … some things. About you.”

Natsu asked if Mas Ter was talkin’ shit.

“What? No, I don’t think so. Mas Ter was telling me how he thinks you’ve changed since meeting me.”

“Not him, too,” he groans frustrated. “What is up with these guys suddenly thinkin’ I'm removing myself from the tribe?”

“He doesn’t think that. Far from it, really. He knows that Gajeel’s attitude is because he feels a little lonelier and nothing more. More so, he was telling me how he thinks you’ve … gotten soft.”

“That sounds worse.”

Lucy grabs an elbow in each hand—Natsu eyeing her deepening cleavage and the way her amulet rests above it—and she looks down to the pelts. “Not as in strength. Like I said, you're still technically the Brave. He meant by your personality. Mas Ter says you’ve been … giving me things. That you're not aware of what’s happening but that what you’ve been doing with me is considered …”

Natsu waits for her to go on but her mouth remains clamped shut. “I don’t get what you’re talking about,” he says.

“Mas Ter thinks you’ve gotten like this because you see me as …”

He waits for an explanation, able to tell Lucy’s struggling to find the right words, an unbelievable aspect considering how smart she is. She turns her burning face away from him, lips tight and eyebrows scrunching hard. She blushes about a lot of things and that makes it hard for him to tell what she could be thinking about. What’s worse is that she’s refusing to look at him.

What comes next out of her mouth in a breathless whisper wouldn’t have been heard if it wasn’t for Natsu’s heightened hearing. “He said he … thinks you see me as a potential … mate.”

Natsu sighs and slumps his shoulders. “Mas Ter sounds like he’s spouting nonsense again.”

Lucy chin lifts a little towards him. “You don’t see me like that?”

“I ain’t got a clue what he means but it better be good.”

She snaps her head up, the movement making him spasm from the sudden action, and she says determined. “You said we’re family.”

“Y-yeah,” he says unsure, not understanding her behavior. “Was what Mas Ter said not good? I swear, Lucy, no matter what anyone else says, you’re welcomed here.”

His words calm her a little, giving a low sigh and softening the eyes. “I am happy for that, but the word ‘mate’, it-it means more than you think.” She mutters. “It means to find someone more than a family member. A …”

She quiets down again.

“Spit it out, will ya?” he demands.

“Oh, forget it,” she dismisses in a huff. She softly shakes her head as if she’s disappointed in herself for not being able to say what she wanted to.

“No, you made a big fuss about this. Tell me what’s goin’ on.”

“I said drop it. I don’t want to talk about this anymore.”

Not wanting to do that, Natsu berates her a little longer on how weird she’s acting and it gets them arguing for a short while. Why doesn’t she want to explain herself anymore? What the hell does ‘mate’ mean? Look him in the eyes, dammit.

“That’s enough, Natsu!”

“I just want to know what you’re talking about!”

Lucy gets up and jerks open the ice-box to grab a stick of dried deer jerky, roughly taking a chunk out of it and chewing with vengeance. “I don’t know what I see in you sometimes,” she groans quietly, keeping her back to him.

That one sentence shots a burden into Natsu’s heart, making him regretfully look down to the cloth wrapped around his arm, put there with so much care, tended to with soft hands and concerned looks. Lucy went through all that trouble to help him out and he says thanks by demanding answers when she’s not comfortable giving them.

If Gajeel’s threats never bothered Lucy from the beginning, then he’s not the cause of her hesitation. It sounds more like Mas Ter said some questionable things to her—things that Natsu will have to interrogate out of him for later on. Trying to pry an answer out of Lucy is getting him nowhere, but Natsu still wants to make sure that she’ll be able to go to sleep tonight without distress. Sure, she’s avoiding the whole thing after she was the one that brought it up, and there’s only so much patience he has, but he respects and cares for Lucy too much to cause her any pain.

He doesn’t want to admit that he’s pouting but it’s unavoidable. “I do appreciate you helping with my wounds,” he says quietly.

Piquing her interest, Lucy turns to look over her shoulder at him and places a hand on her hip. “Of course, I couldn’t leave you like that,” she says calmer, though her voice edges with left-over anger.

“Come over here.”

“What for?”

“I don’t like you avoiding me. I get you don’t want to talk about whatever that was before—sorry—but having you turn your back on me is worse.”

She sighs and shakes her head a little, saying that she isn’t avoiding him. To make her point, she returns to his side of her own accord, dropping to the nest like a bag of rocks and evening her shoulder line to impose her will upon him. She harshly eats her jerky stick in a demeaning sort of manner.

Natsu faces her head on and is pleased when she doesn’t turn her eyes away. “Gajeel didn’t hurt you, right?”

“No, I wasn’t touched,” she says dubiously once done chewing on her food.

After their sporadic fight, his shift in concern is obviously making her suspicious, but no matter where his concern is coming from, to Natsu, it will always be genuine. He softly reaches out to Lucy, cupping the side of her neck and tenderly rubbing his thumb against the hollow of her throat. He eyes the amulet she wears, resting above her cleavage line. It always brings a glow to him from the inside out when he sees her wear it. The pulse of her quickening heart beat under the tips of his fingers reassures him, saying that despite her anger his touch still brings eager anticipation to her blood.

 “I don’t really get Gajeel, but I won’t let him harm you. I’ll keep you safe,” he says serious. 

Lucy freezes under his touch, skin burning with a rosy blush and eyes widening. “I-I don’t think he means to harm me …”

“He probably doesn’t, it’s hard to tell with him, but what I said applies to anyone. That’s a promise.”

Natsu’s elated to find that any left-over fog in Lucy’s eyes due to her troubling thoughts disappear, letting them shine like melted snow. She ducks her chin a little, lashes brushing against her cheeks in their soft half-lid look. “You promised me that long ago,” she whispers.

“True. I only wanted to remind you of it. Also, don’t turn your eyes away from me.” 

Natsu ducks forward and insistently kisses Lucy, pushing to have her head come up. Her eyes remain open wide in surprise against the kiss and he watches the way the colors in them waver, the emotions behind them fighting against one another on how to feel so sporadically. It doesn't matter what was said before in their arguing, Natsu’s mouth remains closed but he presses into her both his words of gratitude and apology.

Lucy jerks her mouth away from his. “O-okay, okay, I won’t forget!” she stutters anxious.

Slightly disappointed by that, he watches the way her blush returns at full force not with anger but from something else. She tries to follow his instructions to not turn away from him but it’s done with difficulty, her eyes twitching from him, off to her right, to her left and then back around to him. She’s full of emotions Natsu can’t quite name yet, despite experiencing them himself already.

He snickers and lays his forehead against Lucy’s shoulder, adoring her honey scent and soft skin. The warmth of her body is almost enough that he wants to have that heat under his fangs, settling his tongue against it as if to eat and enjoy it like he does with his Igny. It’s a weird thought but he doesn’t concern himself with it too much, not wanting to actually eat her. Her heightening pulse thumps hard under the hand that he’s kept at the side of her neck and the beating of it is loud in his ears, a wild drum calling out. 

Natsu smiles and presses the bridge of his nose into the crook of her neck.

Lucy can’t help but giggle. “Your hair tickles.”

He scoots a little closer to her, never minding the pain in his stomach it causes and only taking pleasure in that bell-like chime of her voice. Natsu’s smile turns into a cheeky grin and he rubs his hair into her face harder.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I had difficulty finding if, during the Stone Age, bandages existed! The result was simply woven cotton.
> 
> I'm going to backtrack and add a chapter between Chapters 1 and 2 to further develop Nalu's relationship. I don't like the summarization I did about Nalu's first three weeks together in Chapter 2. It's a mouthful and can be explored better. If I can summarize it, I can fully write it out.
> 
> Alright, tell me what you guys think and I'll update soon!

**Author's Note:**

> Do not copy to another site.


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